Resurgence in homebrewing due to current events?

[passedpawn]

I bought a sixer of an DIPA yesterday - $19.99. Ouch. There were a lot of other beers around it that were relatively pricey. There was a time when craft brew choices were few and far between. Then the craft brew craze gave everyone access to good beer, and one of the reasons for homebrewing was lost.

I wonder if the rising costs of everything, the problems with labor and materials, and all the other craziness in the world will result in people getting back into brewing. I know I'm making a DIPA next

 

[MaxStout]

I'm thinking it's all those reasons, plus some companies trying to add in a little more margin, because who would notice?

Wouldn't be surprised if there's a bump in homebrewing. Maybe there has been due to more people being home in the pandemic.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I wonder if the rising costs of everything, the problems with labor and materials, and all the other craziness in the world will result in people getting back into brewing. I know I'm making a DIPA next

I don't keep great track, but I have definitely noticed some jumps in prices at my local homebrew shop. I am pretty sure their price in imported European barley went up around $10 per sack. It seems that the same inflation, shortages, and supply chain issues that have hit breweries have also hit homebrewing.

 

[Brooothru]

I bought a sixer of an DIPA yesterday - $19.99. Ouch. There were a lot of other beers around it that were relatively pricey. There was a time when craft brew choices were few and far between. Then the craft brew craze gave everyone access to good beer, and one of the reasons for homebrewing was lost.

I wonder if the rising costs of everything, the problems with labor and materials, and all the other craziness in the world will result in people getting back into brewing. I know I'm making a DIPA next

Ouch is right! I thought I was crazy for paying $15 for a 6er of Weihenstephaner Original. Been on quite a Continental lager kick recently and I'm trying to recalibrate my lupulin sensors before Spring brewing commences. Yeasts are cultured, grains are in the Vittle Vaults, now all that's needed are fresh hops and fair weather. Prost!

 

[Mr. Vern]

$25 four-packs of high gravity ale tells me I can *finally* save money homebrewing. HA!

We have been aptly trained as a society of consumers to not think about such complex things.. that's what we pay them for! Also, here in Michigan we are always right around the corner from another "sin tax" on alcohol, tobacco or gambling.

You make a good point about variety (or lack of) bringing people to homebrewing, although I caught the bug back in the 90's I did not start brewing until 2018. Personally, it was not the lack of styles available that got me started. I have been a beer enthusiast since my first job at a brewery in college when the fermenting Hefe was pushing Banana... instantly hooked! That said, we are now able to test our skills and recipes against many commercial examples whether imported or domestic, and that has been fun for me to compare my brew along the way!

 

[kevin58]

" Then the craft brew craze gave everyone access to good beer, and one of the reasons for homebrewing was lost. "

"good beer"?? It seems to me the more craft breweries produce the more my reasons for homebrewing grow. I see nothing but fruity, hazy, pastry crap in the craft beer sections at my local beer & wine stores. We have a local craft brewery with onsite pub that I would love to patronize but I have only been there twice in the four years they have been open. There is no beer or ale on tap. Ever. It's always some gimmicky pablum.

 

[MaxStout]

" Then the craft brew craze gave everyone access to good beer, and one of the reasons for homebrewing was lost. "

"good beer"?? It seems to me the more craft breweries produce the more my reasons for homebrewing grow. I see nothing but fruity, hazy, pastry crap in the craft beer sections at my local beer & wine stores. We have a local craft brewery with onsite pub that I would love to patronize but I have only been there twice in the four years they have been open. There is no beer or ale on tap. Ever. It's always some gimmicky pablum.

Not to mention the abundance of breweries cranking out mediocre product. I've been to more than a few taprooms whose beers were quite underwhelming. But, hey, the decor is post-modern chic, it's in a tony neighborhood and there's a food truck outside!

 

[MaxStout]

[double-post. oops]

 

[grampamark]

I haven’t really noticed beer prices going up in this part of the world. Probably because I don’t buy very much beer. Partly because the beers all the cool kids stand in line for aren’t distributed out here in flyover country and partly because I like the beer I brew and mine is a lot cheaper than even cheap, light beer, swill.

When I do buy beer it’s usually something made here in MT. The price of 6 12s or 4 16s is $8-10, variety 12 packs are $15-16. Those prices haven’t changed in several years.

 

[madscientist451]

I'm way too cheap to pay $19 for a six pack, I usually pay $8 to $13 or so, and am not too happy about those prices. Brewing clones of expensive beers is one of the ways I justify all the time I spend brewing.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I agree with a lot of the posts about more "craft breweries" making very mediocre beer, I am in a small area and there were 3 breweries within 20min of me and I tried to give them my business because I was excited to have local craft, but it turned out it was local crap, just not good beer. I'm amazed that 2 of 3 are still open, one closed after 2 years ish.. now there is a couple breweries about 35 minutes from me that are great so that's a plus. I definitely find it hard to pay 20 for a 4 pack of pounders when I can brew a better beer for less but ultimately that's not what got me into the hobby, the process and the satisfaction are what I really enjoy... oh and drinking the result of course.

 

[Knightshade]

$7.54 not including the obligatory tip for a pint yesterday. Oh..and I can’t keep a tab open? I need to waste more time, ink and paper to sign a receipt every damn time?

Flippin hell man…

 

[seatazzz]

This is a good tie-in to the belief that you CAN save money by brewing your own; after you factor in the cost of the equipment. I think of it as a kind of student loan; until it's paid off you aren't really reaping the full reward. Husband bought a four-pack of IPA at Total Wine from Old Schoolhouse Brewery (location: middle of nowhere WA, we know, we've been there), and paid $16 for it. That to me is just too much. I can brew a 5 gallon batch for about that!! Same reason I roll my own smokes; it's cheaper and I like them better. Since I'm in the supply chain business I understand the price hike, but it sure sucks. It's getting a bit better from what I can see, but the long-term effects are going to be here for quite a while.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm thinking it's all those reasons, plus some companies trying to add in a little more margin, because who would notice?

I wish that was true. We raised prices AND lowered margins at the same time.

 

[GoodTruble]

Prices for beer are up, but so are costs for homebrew equipment & supplies. But more people started homebrewing during Covid, and I suspect higher beer prices will motivate even more people to give it a try (and they won't know grain prices are 30% higher than a year ago =c) ). -I still think there are great homebrew deals almost every week if you shop around.

 

[MaxStout]

I wish that was true. We raised prices AND lowered margins at the same time.

We were talking about the price increases in package beer, lol.

 

[bracconiere]

I bought a sixer of an DIPA yesterday - $19.99. Ouch.

a "6'er"? sad when you can get a better deal on meth, or cocacaine, heroine.....damn, i just whipped up 2 gallons of spiked kool-aid mix,,,, for $12....should get me about 15 gallons.....not including the kool-aid....but i think it should only be $4 a keg for the kool aid....i hate drug dealers thinking us 'commoners' are TOO scared to stand up to them!


i mean seriously at what point to they f you to hard not to get pissed living on the street....

i could do a page rant...so i'll calm down....gotta keep at sensible enough i don't have the gang squad kicking in my door

 

[bwible]

Some of the real strong beers don’t even come in a 6er, you get 4 now. Founders and others. For $18 on up.

What I usually buy is between $8 and $11 for a 6 pack. I don’t go for any of the hip and trendy stuff either. Thats $32 to $44 for a case. Beer is always going to cost more when you are buying by the 6 pack. Or like I said the 4 pack. The price we pay for variety, not having to buy 24 of the same beer.

I live in PA which was always a “case state”. But even we can buy 6 packs in supermarkets now and many places have sections to create your own 6 pack.

 

[bwible]

I’d always had the idea from my earliest days of brewing to try to brew what I can’t easily buy. There’s no Timothy Taylor Landlord for sale near me. Nor many other British beers.

I never wanted to compete with AB or any other brewery to brew what they brew and try to make it for less. I can’t and I can’t.

That said it does pay to brew the higher gravity stuff yourself if that is what you like to drink. You can brew 5 gallons of barleywine for probably less than the cost of a case of Bigfoot, etc. Or trying to make something similar to the beers Founders sells in 4 packs. And I’m not even going to talk about the price of one bottle of Bourbon County.

 

[Softailrider]

Prices in our neck of the woods haven’t increased much (yet) for commercial brews. Still paying 9-11 bucks for some Sierra Nevada brews and a little cheaper for some local stuff (Sockeye, Payette, and others). I did, however just purchase ingredients to brew 10 gallons of an Abbey Dubbel and went into sticker shock when I checked out. Almost $200.00 for everything I needed. Not sure homebrewing will be any less expensive than buying commercially produced beers. The upside? At lease I control the quality. Cheers!

 

[Miraculix]

Wow.... We can get a 24x0,33 litres case of Pilsner for less than 10 euros in Germany.

We are in the lucky position here that us Germans probably will never ever safe money by home-brewing .

 

[Mr. Vern]

I never wanted to compete with AB or any other brewery to brew what they brew and try to make it for less. I can’t and I can’t.

This is true but there are always exceptions... one of my favorite cases of beer is Bells Official (I have the T Shirt *and* tap handle so you know I am serious ). I historically support them however now they are corporate I have some test batches in the works. Don't feed the lion.

So I will brew it in spite rather than trying to save a few dollars. Damn the Man!! Save the Empire!!

 

[GoodTruble]

@Softailrider - What? I can't even think of a way the ingredients add up that high. A ton of DME?

Oh, are you including packaging bottle/can costs?

 

[GoodTruble]

I agree that it's really tough to beat the economies of scale for the cheaper commercial beers. You have to be frugal at every point in the homebrew process to even get close. But you can get reasonably close in price and make much better beer. And you can definitely beat craft brew prices (though quality will vary).

 

[marc1]

Prices in our neck of the woods haven’t increased much (yet) for commercial brews. Still paying 9-11 bucks for some Sierra Nevada brews and a little cheaper for some local stuff (Sockeye, Payette, and others). I did, however just purchase ingredients to brew 10 gallons of an Abbey Dubbel and went into sticker shock when I checked out. Almost $200.00 for everything I needed. Not sure homebrewing will be any less expensive than buying commercially produced beers. The upside? At lease I control the quality. Cheers!

What did you buy?! A new kettle?

 

[Homebrew Harry]

I wish that was true. We raised prices AND lowered margins at the same time.

I think it is true that "some companies" are overcharging consumers. Not all companies are as respectable as yours Sir.

 

[Gorm]

I’ve been schooling a new brewer who is really into tradional styles. Basic recipes, no haze or hop watery thin brews.

I think there will b more as prices rise at the store.

 

[odie]

Ukraine and Russia are major players in global grain production. Beer is mostly malted grains.

 

[JAReeves]

I check in at my LHBS regularly. I buy in bulk, so I don't need to shop with him as often as I go in; I just like to check in on how his business is doing. I love home brewing, so I would do it even if it were more expensive than buying beer at the store, but as it turns out (once the equipment has been paid off) making beer at home is cheaper. More creative, too. And I second the unfortunate circumstance of spending $7 a pint on beer that just isn't as good as home brewed. It's frustrating when you go out, want to taste something good and aspirational, only to come away wondering why they let that leave the tank.

 

[Beerstein]

Ukraine and Russia are major players in global grain production. Beer is mostly malted grains.

I hope this will be a good opportunity for some of the cottage maltsters like Mecca.

 

[TheCache]

I'm sure prices may have increased slightly for both shelf beer and HB ingredients. I just spent $20.55 on ingredients for 2.5 gallons of Caramel Amber, milled and shipped (recipe on HBT). I had some hops that I needed, but my total would still have been under $23. My local grocer (best beer prices around) charges $8-$13 for most craft 6'ers and a 24 of Bud is $22. So for the same cost I can have a case of a steller Amber ale or Bud. Hmm, tough choice.

Sure a hefty IPA might cost more to brew because of the hops, but a 6'er of something like that would probably run 11-13. I can't imagine designing a homebrew that would cost me $44-$52 for 2.5 gallons. So in terms of direct costs I'm doing great brewing my own and having a great time. And since I am now doing simple stove top BIAB using basically the same stuff I used for extract, my equipment costs have been pretty small.

To the question: will more people get into brewing? Not sure. It's not a difficult hobby, but it does take a commitment and many people would rather just plunk down the $'s for someone else to make that effort. Crafts of any kind never seem to be massively popular until there is an economic/societal issue that makes it worth the effort. Lots of people learned to brew during prohibition, people learned to sew and garden during the depression.... It's kind of like the car repair industry in Cuba, people down there have learned to do amazing repairs with a blow torch because getting parts is near impossible.

When getting good beer becomes more expensive and more difficult, more people may take up brewing their own. Hope so, the more the merrier, literally.

 

[Knightshade]

An example I have to share. A “Pack” is 24 cans. Others shown in this pic are 4pack, 16oz cans. Shipping is $15 flat rate until you spend $200 on an order. Local pickup available, same price so there isn’t a markup for shipped orders.

 

[Gary G]

I homebrew because I like my beer better than what I can buy.

 

[Gorm]

Same here, family likes it better too so brew on!

 

[easttex]

It'll be more difficult for neophytes to dive into the hobby now than five years ago. The explosion in local breweries removed a lot of the need to brew at home and COVID lockdowns pretty much killed off most of the local mom-and-pop brew shops.

 

[Gorm]

Well, there is the online stores which will send anything a new brewer needs, or at least when I was a new brewer.
After a quick check I could get everything I want for many basic beers, ferment equipment etc.

sure, it costs more, but what don’t. War ,weather, politics and other events will always have some effect on our lives.

 

[Softailrider]

@Softailrider - What? I can't even think of a way the ingredients add up that high. A ton of DME?

Oh, are you including packaging bottle/can costs?

I only purchased a couple of lbs of DME for my yeast starters. Total of 40 lbs of grains, some hops, belgian candi syrup, and a couple of spices and the checkout was $190.00. Free shipping with purchases over $50.00, so no issue there and no bottling/canning supplies. I keg everything.

 

[marc1]

I only purchased a couple of lbs of DME for my yeast starters. Total of 40 lbs of grains, some hops, belgian candi syrup, and a couple of spices and the checkout was $190.00. Free shipping with purchases over $50.00, so no issue there and no bottling/canning supplies. I keg everything.

Was it more than $2/lb for grain? That's shockingly high!

 

[lightningbug]

Yeah I noticed commercial beer is getting stupidly expensive. The famous ones who aren’t up to $12 six packs are just casually removing two beers and selling $9.99 four packs. I’m getting really tired of our post-covid economy where everything is expensive, nothing goes on sale, and everything is sold out and being scalped (not beer yet thankfully). I don’t fully believe it either. I roll my eyes when a business openly uses our 8% inflation as an excuse when raising prices 50%. Like someone already mentioned, I think businesses are pumping their margin because it’ll blend in with the rest of them.

Makes it easier to justify brewing every weekend. I might even save money if I wasn’t adding $100 in equipment every time I step into the LHBS.

 

[bracconiere]

Makes it easier to justify brewing every weekend.