The quest for free beer

[NightFlight]

New brewer - I've made my first all grain from kit. I really loved that beer because that 5Gal batch was gone in less than 14 days.

The kit was $39 CAD. What I found is that even off the same site that sold the kit, buying the ingredients separately, I can lower the cost to $31 - that's around a 20% cost difference. Continuing on, shopping other sites I can get the grains for this first recipe down to $27CAD - that's a %30 savings. I understand that as part of the purchase for the original kit was work on behalf of the brewer to develop the original recipe and that is worth the money to me.

This example - Cream Ale
7.50 lb 2 row
1.00 lb flaked corn
0.50 lb flaked barley
0.25 lb crystal 90

0.5 oz northern brewer
1.0 oz willamette
US-05 packet

(I found it a bit creamy - next try will reduce flaked corn by half)

In Canada, at ~ $27 for a 5Gal kit described above, US-05 is actually a large contributor to the cost running at around $4.50-$5.00 per packet. %16.6 of the cost in fact. Can I capture and wash US-05 indefinitely? Starters using DME look expensive - as the DME cost would negate capturing and re-using the yeast in the first place. Can I just bring washed (using distilled/boiled H2O) dormant yeast up to room temp and drop it in?

If I get a grain mill, I can purchase 50lb bag of 2-row and knock another %30 of the cost off the base grain.
Where do you guys buy your grain? (I'm in Ontario, CA) - Shipping costs are another cost that can double the cost of a kit and most shops limit the base shipping price to ~30lb.

Just kicking around some numbers. Any suggestions?

After having tried my first really good HB from all grain using my Brewzilla, I don't forsee me buying much store bought ever again.

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

I work in Africa & there is no home brew shop nearby. So I started making own malt with the grains bought in the market (mostly feed grade). I too use US-05 mostly & store the yeast in my fridge in a mason jar and haven't bought it again. You can read about yeast harvesting on HBT. I don't make starters anymore as I toss in the stored yeast in mason jar. I keep feeding the yeast every 3 weeks or so by keeping them outside and adding jaggery or malted powder etc for a day, IF I'm not brewing that long (travelling).

 

[NightFlight]

Malted powder... do you just make a bit extra wort and dry it out?

... Then I found thread online showing that if you are willing you can just make a small mash with a short boil and you have a wort base you can keep for feeds and starters - equivalent to having DME on hand. I expect it would be cheaper and easier to make a bit of wort to ensure you have the maltose on hand to keep your yeast colony healthy.

So my next question.. what would be a minimum to good GPPPG to use with a starter or yeast colony feed? I know some is better than none, but where to you start throwing away your investment?