How much is your beer costing you?

[Vaureywwc]

I've got my costs down too $6/Gallon. I know I'll cut the costs even more next batch. I'll being buying 50-55lb sacks of 2-Row, White Wheat, Vienna and Munich to at least have my base malts in bulk.

So curious to see what everyone else has done to keep costs down and run as efficiently as possible. Or at least compare how much we're all spending.

I also picked up a 2 - 50' potable hoses to run from my mainline to my brew station so I can more effectively get the amount of water I need in a timely matter.

 

[slym2none]

When I get to under $1/bottle, I'll chime back in.

 

[iijakii]

So you're already buying your grain in bulk. Do you have a vacuum sealer and buy hops by the pound? Those two are the main things. Besides that you can reuse yeast. And get into cheaper session beers...

 

[Venari]

Now that the gear is purchased, the ingredients only cost me $50 per batch for a coopers cerveza, and 70 for a brewers best amber american ale.

which, technically is under 1 per bottle

 

[slym2none]

*lol*

 

[Brewernaut51]

Now that the gear is purchased, the ingredients only cost me $50 per batch for a coopers cerveza, and 70 for a brewers best amber american ale.

which, technically is under 1 per bottle

Youch! Things are a lot cheaper in the states. If I go over 40 bucks for an extract batch I feel like I'm doing an expensive batch.

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

Now that I have all my equipment, I can do a good 5 gallon SMASH for about 25 bucks. That cost is mostly grain since I do not buy in bulk. Add a few more bucks for distilled water and I'm good to go.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Let's see...

10 lb grain average per batch - $10
4-6 oz hops average per batch - $6
Yeast - $4 (we'll guess high here since I usually reuse)


Total equipment - $450

20 batches so far, so 450/20 = $22.5 per batch

Damn. So like $20 per batch in ingredients, and more than double for equipment for $42.5 per batch.

All I have to do is brew 1000 more times without buying more equipment and I'll be sitting pretty.

 

[Brew_G]

I did a breakdown of an APA I did earlier this year. Grain, hops, water, yeast, DME for starter, etc. ran me about $26 for five gallons. I buy grain in bulk and buy hops in larger quantities, then vacuum seal them. That's a huge money saver.

Of course, that doesn't account for the overhead costs of the gear.

 

[Peruvian802]

I vacuum seal my hops in ball jars with the canister attachment. Much cheaper than the plastic rolls and reuseable forever.

 

[Sailingeric]

I don't think about cost per batch but more in how much I am not spending for beer in the store. Figure a decent beer is going to be between $4 to $10 a 22 oz bottle and I get 26 or 27 bottles per batch, easily saving $50 to $150 vs retail.

 

[bbrim]

I'm at about $0.80/lb of base grain and ounce of hops. I reuse yeast for anywhere from 10-20 batches, and I've started harvesting yeast so that cuts the cost down a bit. I brew session beers using 7-10 lbs of grain per 5 gallons which comes out between $7-10 including specialty grains for most beers. I average about 3.5 oz of hops per batch=~$3.00. Counting the cost of malt extract and the money I do spend on yeast that comes out to about $2.00. Then I have propane, sanitizer, electricity and water (tap). I figure this at about $5. That puts me at $17-20 for my average batch. I do some special beers that cost more at times. This puts me at $0.35-0.40 per beer. It takes a lot of work but I enjoy it.

 

[Vaureywwc]

I'm able to pick up my Pale and Wheat for around $24.50/55# I don't reuse yeast. I don't often use the same yeast in a row. However I should buy my hops in more bulk. I do not reseal my grain. However it's used quickly. I keep my bulk grain sealed in a 55 Gallon Sealed drum.

 

[Rhumbline]

It's a hobby. I don't count the cost. Just like with cooking.

I could buy cheap beer for less, but the quality of the brew that I make and the enjoyment makes it a no brainier.

 

[Black]

Youch! Things are a lot cheaper in the states. If I go over 40 bucks for an extract batch I feel like I'm doing an expensive batch.

Well, it's cheaper than that in the rest of Canada as well. He is actually up north in Nunavut, wich may explain the high costs. Google maps Igloolik, nunavut, Canada. It'll all come clear

I pay 52 CDN $ for 50 pounds of Canadian 2-row here.. not that expensive. The hops, on the other hand, are almost all imported from your country so I get them at around 40-50 CDN $ a kilogram, in pellets. Not that bad, actually.

I started my hop farm this year and I plan on making it bigger in the next summers so that I could, eventually, stop buying commercial hops. But that's another story !



Cheers !

(edited for spelling, my english su....s)

 

[IslandLizard]

For about a year we were drinking $30 pints and they were delicious.

Now we're drinking $3 pints and they're even better.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I love these threads. Always the best comments.

 

[Brewernaut51]

Well, it's cheaper than that in the rest of Canada as well. He is actually up north in Nunavut, wich may explain the high costs. Google maps Igloolik, nunavut, Canada. It'll all come clear

I pay 52 CDN $ for 50 pounds of Canadian 2-row here.. not that expensive. The hops, on the other hand, are almost all imported from your country so I get them at around 40-50 CDN $ a kilogram, in pellets. Not that bad, actually.

I started my hop farm this year and I plan on making it bigger in the next summers so that I could, eventually, stop buying commercial hops. But that's another story !



Cheers !

(edited for spelling, my english su....s)

Ahhh yup, I see what you mean now.

 

[Yooper]

I buy grain in bulk ($37 for 50 pounds, usually), and hops by the pound ($8-$14/pound) plus grow many of my own hops. I buy yeast twice a year, and reuse the yeast I buy several times.

The biggest cost has been improving my rig- all electric, with a tippy dump, and just last week I put on all new tubing and connectors (about $300 worth there in one shot). So I can't imagine I'll ever break even.

But talking about the actual cost of a batch of beer, my cream ale was $16 for 10 gallons- that was because I found the minute rice at the Dollar Store, and the flaked corn at a discount bin at the grocery, and the hops were homegrown. That day felt like I hit the jackpot! Most of my other recipes (11 gallon batches) are in the $25 range.

 

[QuadConPana]

It's a hobby. I don't count the cost. Just like with cooking.

Right on. People don't buy fishing boats because they can't afford the price of fish at the supermarket.

However, I totally get that we all get enjoyment from this hobby for different reasons. I don't think you have to be a cheapskate to want to minimize costs. It takes skill to create something wonderful with the least amount of cost.

I, however, like to think of how much somebody would spend on another hobby. For example, I could spend $60. on the ingredients for an Imperial Stout and end up with 50+ bottles. Or I could spend $30 for greens fees at a public golf course and end up with 0 bottles. I would enjoy brewing more. So, really the stout cost me $0.60 per bottle after subtracting the "hobby value".

 

[MindenMan]

I average $18.00 to $24.00 a batch depending on my hop requirement, and restarting from my mother jar of yeast. Even $24.00 for eight six-packs, vs. $24.00 for three six-packs, is a no-brain er for me.

 

[slym2none]

...not gonna mention my 2.5 gallon extract brews cost about what most everyone's 5 gallon AG batches cost...

My next beer, I swear, I'm going BIAB. I have a brown ale scheduled. Should be do-able.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I repitch yeast regularly, and buy hops and malt in bulk. I also brew a lot of session beers. Now, I have an unfair advantage, in that all utilities are included in my rent, so I don't factor natural gas or water into my per-batch costs. But my cheapest is probably 7 bucks per 5.5 gallon batch (something like a Mild or Scottish 60/-, where it's ~5 lbs of grains, less than an ounce of hops, and repitched yeast). But generally I'd say I'm in the $10-15 per batch range. Maybe $20-25 if I'm doing a very big beer, or a beer with a bunch of hops, or something else I don't always keep on hand.

 

[Silentdrinker]

Let's see...

10 lb grain average per batch - $10
4-6 oz hops average per batch - $6
Yeast - $4 (we'll guess high here since I usually reuse)


Total equipment - $450

20 batches so far, so 450/20 = $22.5 per batch

Damn. So like $20 per batch in ingredients, and more than double for equipment for $42.5 per batch.

All I have to do is brew 1000 more times without buying more equipment and I'll be sitting pretty.

Half of me wanted to break out my old ti84 calculator to calculate and graph the intercept. The other half of me said **** it. I'm drinking.

Guess what half won... Once I sober up, I'll post the graph.

 

[Beerngineer]

Including the propane, I'm averaging about 60c a beer. I buy bulk hops and bulk base malts. I get the specialty malts at $5/kg from the LHBS

 

[IslandLizard]

Don't forget to add propane/NG to the cost of a batch, or electricity. Propane by the 20# is really expensive compared to other heat sources.

There are some other hidden costs, such as ice for chilling, cleaners, sanitizer, and to be fair, CO2 and even electricity to keep the various beer fridges and freezers going. If you order online, include the shipping charges. If you have to buy water, add that in too.

Altogether they easily add $5-15 to a $20-40 batch.

Buying grain in bulk (group buys), hops by the pound rather than ounces, ranching and harvesting yeast, etc. helps to keep the cost of ingredients down to a minimum. So does substituting with what you have on hand.

My 2 cents.

 

[Nickyssix]

in US dollars average $15 on grain $5 yeast and $5 on hops.. gas maybe $1
Going bulk would be the one.

 

[Invertalon]

I won't count the equipment costs to start up, but just on a per-batch basis now for ingredients I am at about $30 for 5-6 gallon. I get my base malt in bulk now, so that is under $1/lb. Add in $7 for yeast, about $5-15 in hops depending (IPA's obviously high end of that)... Add in a few dollars in water cost... Usually like $30-$35 for 5-6 gallon... Which for 5.5 gallon is 704oz, or 58-12oz bottles... So $30/58 is about 0.52 cents a bottle for a typical batch.

But I am sure once you add cleaning solutions, natural gas to boil (stovetop), caps, etc... I am probably at 0.60-0.65 cents a bottle.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Half of me wanted to break out my old ti84 calculator to calculate and graph the intercept. The other half of me said **** it. I'm drinking.

Guess what half won... Once I sober up, I'll post the graph.

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[user 214470]

Just brewed a 10.5 gallon batch for $22, so that's $0.18 per bottle (cap included). I'm not counting in the gas for stove however...
Or in other words $11 per 5 gallon batch.

 

[bbrim]

Domaso: I see you are in Lithuania. Is your currency the Euro, and if so, is your price calculated in that currency? I'm just curious, either way it sounds like you're getting a good price on ingredients.

 

[Hammy71]

Don't forget to add propane/NG to the cost of a batch, or electricity. Propane by the 20# is really expensive compared to other heat sources.

There are some other hidden costs, such as ice for chilling, cleaners, sanitizer, and to be fair, CO2 and even electricity to keep the various beer fridges and freezers going. If you order online, include the shipping charges. If you have to buy water, add that in too.

Altogether they easily add $5-15 to a $20-40 batch.

Buying grain in bulk (group buys), hops by the pound rather than ounces, ranching and harvesting yeast, etc. helps to keep the cost of ingredients down to a minimum. So does substituting with what you have on hand.

My 2 cents.

I'll agree with the propane, but the keggerators and beer fridges were in my house long before I started brewing. So I'm a wash in that department. I average around $16 -$28 a five gallon kegged batch before propane. Add another 8 buxs a batch for that. Still way below a sixtel of good IPA at the store....

 

[hunter_le five]

My only liver and most of my inhibitions.

 

[user 214470]

Domaso: I see you are in Lithuania. Is your currency the Euro, and if so, is your price calculated in that currency? I'm just curious, either way it sounds like you're getting a good price on ingredients.

Yep our currency is Euro, but I'm in American forum so I've converted to USD. (if you can trust Google on that )

I might be cheating in a way because this beer I brewed was super simple APA, here goes:

21lb Pilsen malt: $13.37
1.1lb Cara-Crystal malt: $1.11
Malt crushing "service": $1.33
1.05oz NorthernBrewer + 1.41oz Columbus: $3.12 total for hops
1.5 packet of Safale US-05: $3.34
80 bottle caps: $2.25
--------------------------------
Total: $21.18 for 10.5 gallon / or about $11 for 5 gallons.


I also have to mention that we think the 12oz/0.33l bottles are too small, so we use 17oz/0.5l bottles And that's where I need only 80 bigger bottles instead of 120 smaller ones, so I'm saving 40 caps (just enough for another 5 gallon brew). Even better - I sometimes use 34oz/1l Flip-Top bottles so they don't need caps at all, and the bottling goes twice as fast! (these bigger bottles are great for lighter beers, lawnmowers, etc., where you know one glass will not be enough anyway )

 

[beersk]

My only liver and most of my inhibitions.

I would also say it's costing me a lot of ambition.

But on the material scale, it's probably in the $15-20 range for a 5 gallon batch with buying grains and hops in bulk and harvesting yeast. I also boil on my stove instead of using propane, so that saves on cost as well. Not sure what the breakdown of water or energy cost for my fermentation fridge is either.

 

[CaptainDucman]

Right on. People don't buy fishing boats because they can't afford the price of fish at the supermarket.

some of my most expensive seafood was caught on my boat

seafood market is WAY cheaper.

 

[Remmy]

I typically make nine or ten-pound batches (to keep on tap during the warm/hot months and drink when I'm working outside of the house). Here's the run-down:

$14.40 for grain
$1.50 for dry yeast (a pack is $3, but I use half of a pack for low-OG beer)
$3.75 for 4 ounces of hops (taking an avg. of $15/lb. bag of hops)
$3 propane ($12 for a fill, and I get 4 batches' worth out of my tank)

I brew 5.5-gallon batches. So, I get roughly 50, 14-ounce pours out of the tap...which turns out to be 45 cents per beer or $4.11/gallon.

 

[drainbamage]

I would also say it's costing me a lot of ambition.

Most of my ambition is beer-related, so there's that.

I'm running about $7-15/gallon these days. I don't consider that too bad, but I should start doing more bulk buys.

 

[m00ps]

countless hours of sleep worrying about my babies bubbling away...

 

[beersk]

Most of my ambition is beer-related, so there's that.

I'm running about $7-15/gallon these days. I don't consider that too bad, but I should start doing more bulk buys.

Same here, but there's other sh*t that needs to get done, like the dishwasher that's been sitting full with clean dishes in it for 2 days or the carpet that needs to get vacuumed or the lawn that needs to get mowed. But most of that isn't too huge of a deal.
I've never had much ambition to begin with, so I probably can't blame it on the beer. I had low ambition even before I started drinking beer, but beer definitely doesn't help.