Home Brewing = Saving Money?

[mattdee1]

Whether or not homebrewing saves money depends largely on what factors you arbitrarily choose to include in the calculation.

My own arbitrary calculation does not include equipment costs on the liability side because most hobbies need equipment and I’m going to indulge in hobbies no matter what, as a simple matter of personal happiness. Whatever money I spend on homebrewing, if I never got into it, would go to something else—guitars and amps, camera lenses, fast cars, old arcade machines. Therefore, to me, equipment costs fall under my entertainment/hobby budget, not my beer budget.

As for the time and effort associated with homebrewing, a similar concept applies. Between planning and record keeping, shopping for ingredients, brew day, doing gravity samples and monitoring fermentation, organizing bottles, bottling day, and storage I figure a single batch requires 7-8 hours of my time. If I had to jog on a treadmill for that same 7-8 hours in order to yield a batch of homebrewed beer, then I promise you my math would change in a big hurry. But, as it is, I rather enjoy the activities of those hours so it’s not a cost.

The fact that dollar-for-dollar and beer-for-beer my homebrew costs a fair bit less than a comparable commercially available craft beer is definitely a nice cherry on top, but it’s not something I spend much time thinking about.

 

[PlexVector]

This six pack of research cost me $25...:smack: and I can't even deduct it as a cost of doing business.

 

[lolcats]

I do save money when making my 3 gallon batches:
After the initial equipment of about 150$ (which will last a long time)

I buy all my stuff from Bell's Brewery

6 lbs of grains --> 8 $
10 oz of hops --> 12 $
1/2 pack of dry yeast --> 2 $
water --> free
electricity + corn sugar + irish moss + starsan + caps --> hardly anything

I get about 30 beers out of this so roughly 5 $ a six pack. Here in NY they cost about 12 to 15 $ a six pack.

But drinking your own beer = priceless

 

[Magnus314]

So you pay $500 a pound for fish.....

Oh, so you fish too?

 

[andy6026]

Whether or not homebrewing saves money depends largely on what factors you arbitrarily choose to include in the calculation.

^^^This^^^

If you want to calculate absolutely everything into the mix, you'd need to include (and I may still have inadvertently left something out):

1. Equipment Cost (Kettle, Wort Chiller, Bottles, Kegs, etc)
2. Ingredients Cost (Grain, Hops, Yeast, etc)
3. Miscellaneous Costs (Propane, Electricity, Water, Starsan, Transportation costs to go and buy all of the above, etc).
4. Your Time (which you may or may not be able to put a monetary value on)
5. How much of it do you and your family actually drink. (I.e. many of us end up giving a higher portion away than we otherwise would with commercial beer).

If you want to calculate this 'real cost', then consider your homebrewing hobby like a business instead and keep tally of the actual costs. If this were indeed a business then the cost of the 'free samples' you give away isn't paid for by the Gods but rather out of the business. Neither does the water or the cost of transporting the ingredients to your brewery. Labour costs would be involved too.

I would venture to guess that unless you have a very simple set-up, then it will take many batches over a good number of years before the actual costs of your homebrewing per bottle becomes cheaper than commercial beer (but of course it depends on what you drink). If you include your time in the calculation, even at minimum wage, then chances are you'd never be able to do it more cheaply than what you were paying the big boys to do it for you. Their primary goal is to produce desirable beer efficiently in terms of cost and most of them have it down to a science. Their large-scale processes work significantly in their favor.

The good news is that the vast majority of us brew because we enjoy the process as well as the end product. If that wern't the case then you'd find our equipment listed on craigslist pretty darned fast.

 

[zippyclown]

People brew beer because people like to make stuff. Tinker. Have a hobby. See if they can impress their friends. See if they can make a beer they like. Challenge themselves. All of that stuff. I make beer but I also make my own pasta from time to time. Grill my own steaks. Make my own hot sauce. Roast my own coffee beans. Feels good to create. Ultimately maybe it's because I'm bored and dead inside.

You'd have to be pretty desperate and/or broke to invest all that time into brewing just to save a few bucks. You'd probably also be keeping the heat at 50 degrees in the dead of winter... Taking cold showers... Reusing spent coffee grains for 3 days in a row... Covering your couch with plastic... Turning your underwear inside-out to get another day out of them... Eating squirrels for dinner...

zc

 

[Roland_deschain]

I started brewing because, like so many others, I had always wanted to. I am VERY fortunate in that my wife shares my love of craft beer and we enjoy trying new ones. Our local hangout has 32 tap which change out quite regularly so there was always something worth trying. Depending on our moods, there were times where we may go 2-3 times in a week to try what was new. Granted, this was not 3-4 hour sessions each and many times it would be a 5 beer flight. My wife tends to gravitate toward DIPA, high-test beer. I did the math based on cost per glass at our pub vs. my homebrewing. Assuming a 5 gal batch(1/6th bbl) there should be 53 12oz pours (anything over 7abv pours in a snifter). At a cost of $6/ glass its costing $318/5 gal. My homebrewed Heady clone cost $64 with yeast. Without factoring in cost of gas and electricity im at $1.20/ 12oz glass. Not to mention that in not going to the bar regularly we save on the incidentals like bar food and the like. We go to our hangout once every 3 weeks or so to sample.
As long as I keep making beer she likes then it DOES save me money The savings is a welcome by-product of the brewing......which allows me to invest in equipment and gadgets and........

 

[Roland_deschain]

This six pack of research cost me $25...:smack: and I can't even deduct it as a cost of doing business.

But if you harvest any yeast from the bottles, couldn't you write it off as supplies? LOL

 

[zippyclown]

I started brewing because, like so many others, I had always wanted to. I am VERY fortunate in that my wife shares my love of craft beer and we enjoy trying new ones. Our local hangout has 32 tap which change out quite regularly so there was always something worth trying. Depending on our moods, there were times where we may go 2-3 times in a week to try what was new. Granted, this was not 3-4 hour sessions each and many times it would be a 5 beer flight. My wife tends to gravitate toward DIPA, high-test beer. I did the math based on cost per glass at our pub vs. my homebrewing. Assuming a 5 gal batch(1/6th bbl) there should be 53 12oz pours (anything over 7abv pours in a snifter). At a cost of $6/ glass its costing $318/5 gal. My homebrewed Heady clone cost $64 with yeast. Without factoring in cost of gas and electricity im at $1.20/ 12oz glass. Not to mention that in not going to the bar regularly we save on the incidentals like bar food and the like. We go to our hangout once every 3 weeks or so to sample.
As long as I keep making beer she likes then it DOES save me money The savings is a welcome by-product of the brewing......which allows me to invest in equipment and gadgets and........

You just changed my mind. Maybe you CAN brew to save money, if it keeps you out of the bars and restaurants, because of the incidentals. Good point you just made here.

 

[ryanryates]

If you are brewing to save time and money, you may think about finding a new hobby. Brewing is a lifestyle decision - one that will provide you with years of personal enjoyment, happy friends/family/neighbors, and recurring opportunities for continuing education. You can make it what you want to make it. Some keep it simple - others love to geek out on chemistry, microbiology, electrical engineering, computer science, agriculture, mechanical engineering, and other sciences that are rolled into the wonderful world of brewing.

 

[PlexVector]

You just changed my mind. Maybe you CAN brew to save money, if it keeps you out of the bars and restaurants, because of the incidentals. Good point you just made here.

I started brewing because, like so many others, I had always wanted to. I am VERY fortunate in that my wife shares my love of craft beer and we enjoy trying new ones. Our local hangout has 32 tap which change out quite regularly so there was always something worth trying. Depending on our moods, there were times where we may go 2-3 times in a week to try what was new. Granted, this was not 3-4 hour sessions each and many times it would be a 5 beer flight. My wife tends to gravitate toward DIPA, high-test beer. I did the math based on cost per glass at our pub vs. my homebrewing. Assuming a 5 gal batch(1/6th bbl) there should be 53 12oz pours (anything over 7abv pours in a snifter). At a cost of $6/ glass its costing $318/5 gal. My homebrewed Heady clone cost $64 with yeast. Without factoring in cost of gas and electricity im at $1.20/ 12oz glass. Not to mention that in not going to the bar regularly we save on the incidentals like bar food and the like. We go to our hangout once every 3 weeks or so to sample.
As long as I keep making beer she likes then it DOES save me money The savings is a welcome by-product of the brewing......which allows me to invest in equipment and gadgets and........

And if you also factor in the full cost of a DUI, then homebrew asymptotically approaches free.

 

[Roland_deschain]

And if you also factor in the full cost of a DUI, then homebrew asymptotically approaches free.

Id rather not.....

 

[moreb33rplz]

Bulk grain, bulk hops, reuse yeast, don't keg.

You will save money without even trying. You will also price out kegging equipment for 2 hours a night, every two weeks, for 2 years. And counting.

 

[brewprint]

I just priced out 11 Gallons of American Lager and 11 Gallons of Zombie dust clone at "Build Your Own" pricing...

It was WAYYY cheap.

Craft Brews run ~ $10+/6 pack here (South Florida). Even "cheap" Am. Lagers run ~ $1/12oz.

I can make those for around 1/4 the price, including electric and propane, and excluding equipment cost - which for me is nominal on a per-batch basis.

I agree here. At 1/4 of the cost coming in at $2.50/6 pack...a 5 gallon batch is coming in a roughly $20 with a savings of about $60. That's for solid IPAs.

Let's even call it a $50 savings per 5 gallons (2 cases). With 10 batches of beer I've now saved $500. I know that even with my mill I don't have that much cash wrapped up in brewing but I do BIAB.

Now a kegerator is a different story. I've got a lot more money in that. Probably around $900. Of course if I bought kegged beer I would still spend a LOT more. Kegging is just a luxury because buying kegged beer or kegging your own could be considered a wash. That's when we put the kegs into consideration when buying brewed beer doesn't have a cost of keg; yet the beer is more.

So is it saving me money? Without a doubt.

 

[m00ps]

Are you people that actually believe you are truly saving money from homebrewing just not giving ANY value to the huge amount of your own time, labor, and space that this hoppy entails? Im not sure I get it....planning weekly brewdays alone takes up hours

equipment, malt, hops, and yeast are maybe half of what this hobby costs. It also costs your soul

IMO, if you are only in this thing as a way to save money, there are A LOT of better options out there. Find something less awesome

 

[brewprint]

I agree to some point but I actually enjoy doing it. If I could fish I would do that over brewing.

By calculating how much time I have involved would be like calculating how much I pay per pound for the fish I eat/catch.

It's a hobby and it's fun.

If someone is doing it strictly for cost savings then I suppose they would calculate their time.

 

[djt17]

I do it for entertainment; I pay myself to be entertained. I'm actually making money.

 

[brewprint]

I do it for entertainment; I pay myself to be entertained. I'm actually making money.

Haha!

 

[DevilNuts]

I do it for entertainment; I pay myself to be entertained. I'm actually making money.

 

[HomebrewSupply]

If you are brewing to save time and money, you may think about finding a new hobby. Brewing is a lifestyle decision - one that will provide you with years of personal enjoyment, happy friends/family/neighbors, and recurring opportunities for continuing education. You can make it what you want to make it. Some keep it simple - others love to geek out on chemistry, microbiology, electrical engineering, computer science, agriculture, mechanical engineering, and other sciences that are rolled into the wonderful world of brewing.

I know that I don't save time brewing, that's for sure. As for saving money... I kinda thought I would when getting into it (oh, it's only $30 for my 5 gallon batch, that's two cases!) but there's always something else to buy, something to upgrade.

I think you *can* save money doing it, but I'm on the same page as you, I don't think it's necessarily the best reason to get into brewing.

 

[DevilNuts]

Maybe you can eventually "save money" if you buy your grains and hops in bulk, cultivate your own yeast, etc. But that really only applies if you constantly make the same beer, and make it in large quantities.

For me, each new batch is a new idea, which involves some strange new equipment or ingredients. And that's not even mentioning the R&D costs (drinking lots of beer to study a style).

 

[HomebrewSupply]

Maybe you can eventually "save money" if you buy your grains and hops in bulk, cultivate your own yeast, etc. But that really only applies if you constantly make the same beer, and make it in large quantities.

For me, each new batch is a new idea, which involves some strange new equipment or ingredients. And that's not even mentioning the R&D costs (drinking lots of beer to study a style).

True - and even if you don't, just on the ingredients, you can often save money if you're only looking at the raw ingredient cost compared to buying a similar commercial beer. Even if your ingredients cost $50, that's ~$1 a bottle, cheaper than most commercial craft options.

But then you've got the time... and the brewing equipment... and the fermentation temperature control... and the kegs... and the lawyer as you plan your microbrewery... that just gets expensive!

 

[DevilNuts]

I've decided that I like brewing too much to ever do it for a living.

 

[Rolsom]

It's not like all those half drunk college girls are going to stop by your garage brewery on the way home for the bars.

My milkstout brings all the girls to the yard.

 

[yono1986]

As an avid homebrewer, brewing does not save money. Let's say you can save 50 cents on the dollar on an ingredient by ingredient basis, that comes out to about $30-50 depending on the beer. Setting 8 hours for brew day and 2 for bottle day, that means that you're "working" for about half of minimum wage. From a pure time value perspective it's a lot cheaper to drive to the liquor store and buy beer than to make it yourself.

 

[bleme]

You'd have to be pretty desperate and/or broke to invest all that time into brewing just to save a few bucks. You'd probably also be keeping the heat at 50 degrees in the dead of winter... Taking cold showers... Reusing spent coffee grains for 3 days in a row... Covering your couch with plastic... Turning your underwear inside-out to get another day out of them... Eating squirrels for dinner...



zc

Woah! I am checking my house for hidden cameras when I get home!

 

[bleme]

Bulk grain, bulk hops, reuse yeast, don't keg.

You will save money without even trying. You will also price out kegging equipment for 2 hours a night, every two weeks, for 2 years. And counting.

It took me 3 years. The final straw was when I won a keg in my clubs annual Christmas raffle.

 

[bleme]

Are you people that actually believe you are truly saving money from homebrewing just not giving ANY value to the huge amount of your own time, labor, and space that this hoppy entails? Im not sure I get it....planning weekly brewdays alone takes up hours

equipment, malt, hops, and yeast are maybe half of what this hobby costs. It also costs your soul

IMO, if you are only in this thing as a way to save money, there are A LOT of better options out there. Find something less awesome

Labor doesn't count. I don't charge myself to watch TV either.

 

[Clonefan94]

Are you people that actually believe you are truly saving money from homebrewing just not giving ANY value to the huge amount of your own time, labor, and space that this hoppy entails? Im not sure I get it....planning weekly brewdays alone takes up hours

equipment, malt, hops, and yeast are maybe half of what this hobby costs. It also costs your soul

IMO, if you are only in this thing as a way to save money, there are A LOT of better options out there. Find something less awesome

Yes, time is an issue, but is it really a cost? How much does it cost you to watch TV, or sleep? I have done plenty of things to save money. My own brake jobs, re-roofing my house. I didn't take time off of work and no money came out of my bank account for my time, so it didn't cost me money.

Time is valuable, but I also don't spend 24 hours a day making money. I look at it more as I'd rather brew than golf, watch TV or do any other leisure activity I might otherwise be doing.

In the end though, I 100% agree with your on your last statement. If saving money is your goal, there are plenty of better ways to do that. I personally would never brew beer strictly to save a buck. I brew because I enjoy brewing and I enjoy the different types of beer I can make. I would never want to get to a point where I wasn't willing to try a recipe because "Oh, those hops don't fit into my budget for this beer." Or "It's just not economical to brew a high gravity beer on this scale."

I'm not trying to tell anyone how they should treat their hobbies, but at least in the US, brewing for the fun of it should be the top priority.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Money saved is evident. Without boring you with all my math I scribbled down it's ~$1.30/12 oz commercial vs. ~$0.41/12 oz. for its clone. I'm no economist, but I'd say that's a drastic savings. That's not why I brew, but it's definitely a perk. With those numbers it's not hard to surmise the more homebrew you drink, the more money you save.

 

[brewcat]

Yes and that is without trying.

Here is some math:
6-packs of craft beer are $10+ Maybe a 12-pack is only $15. Buying two cases would be $60 - $80. I can brew two cases for $40 or so (including propane costs). That is without bulk buy, reusing yeast, etc. Labor doesn't count (view it as an entrepreneur/business owner; only paid when the company makes money). Let's average the brew day to $30 saved.

Part 2:
Let's say I brew 12 batches a year for $30 per average "savings." That would be $360 worth of "savings" for a year. Now put that towards equipment. Any equipment worth buying should get multiple years of use.

Anyways, as a hobby I'm not too concerned. Homebrewing is a relatively cheap hobby in comparison to most. You can buy the best of the best and it is still cheaper than a lot of hobbies.

 

[dpatrickv]

Brewing doesnt actually cut into much if any of my beer buying. If something new comes out, I'll buy it. I don't drink a ton of beer in the first place(Coming from somebody with ten taps....that sounds slightly ridiculous I know), but when i do, its probably split 50/50 commercial/Homebrew.

 

[normonster]

Brewing doesnt actually cut into much if any of my beer buying. If something new comes out, I'll buy it. I don't drink a ton of beer in the first place(Coming from somebody with ten taps....that sounds slightly ridiculous I know), but when i do, its probably split 50/50 commercial/Homebrew.

Well with a zillion taps I hope you're buying kegs and filling cornys...there's a savings that RELATES to your homebrewing....loosely. [emoji3]

 

[mattd2]

...I have kept track of what I have spent and it's just over $1700 for everything, now I DIY a lot of it but you can't DIY kegs, the single largest investment was kegging, about a third of that $1700...

My total setup costs have been on the order of $1000. Possibly as high as $1500. ..

It is funny how whenever one of these threads come up there a 2 points which always come up why you can't save money homebrewing:
1) With all the equipment costs you'll never break even, and
2) You need to factor in your time and how much that is worth.

Both of these are rubbish, because:
1) Equipment is a capital investment - if you take care of it you will likely be able to get most of your money back if you sell it, sometimes more depending (all those guys who bought a shed-load of cornies at $20 a keg would be making a tidy profit )
2) Unless someone is will to pay you for every waking hour you can't count your time as a cost. Humans need relaxation, if brewing is your relaxation time it doesn't count as a cost... if it isn't your relaxation time your doing it wrong

 

[hbhudy]

Brewing is cheaper than other hobbies that would still end with me having a beer.. So net net.. A good brew is cheaper than a new golf club and green fees. And I would still get a beer afterwards

 

[brewprint]

Indeed brewing is the cheapest hobby that I have. The next cheapest is fishing and the most expensive is snowmobiling.

Wow the amount of beer that I could brew in comparison to just one boat...or just one snowmobile.

It's seriously unbelievable how cheap this hobby is compared to others.

 

[brewprint]

Love what you do. Do what you love.

 

[normonster]

Love what you do. Do what you love.

That puts like half the population home spankin off and drinking beer all day [emoji13]

 

[Transamguy77]

It is funny how whenever one of these threads come up there a 2 points which always come up why you can't save money homebrewing:

1) With all the equipment costs you'll never break even, and

2) You need to factor in your time and how much that is worth.



Both of these are rubbish, because:

1) Equipment is a capital investment - if you take care of it you will likely be able to get most of your money back if you sell it, sometimes more depending (all those guys who bought a shed-load of cornies at $20 a keg would be making a tidy profit )

2) Unless someone is will to pay you for every waking hour you can't count your time as a cost. Humans need relaxation, if brewing is your relaxation time it doesn't count as a cost... if it isn't your relaxation time your doing it wrong

I'm confused as to the point you are trying to make here, you had quoted me on my equipment costs but in my post I did say that I DO save money home brewing. I haven't spent any real money on anything in almost 3 years so all I'm paying for are ingredients.

 

[normonster]

Trany77 - I don't think he was trying to pick on you....just observing the trend.