Charging For Your Brews

[joshuahardie]

I personally brew because I like the craft, the methods, the process. I pay to put ingredients through my setup in the various ways that I'm experimenting with, and I happen to end up with some free tasty beers at the end of it, a large fraction of which I give away. If my mates come over to share those free beers with me, then all the better. Some will do the same for me, others can't or won't, but that's fine.

A tip jar suggests that you're doing something above-and-beyond being a mate and sharing the love. Feedback and occasional compliments fill my tip jar just fine.

^^^
Could not agree with this more.
HB is my hobby and if my mates enjoy the spoils of my hobby I am very happy to oblige them.

 

[Effect]

I brew WAY more than I can drink - mainly because I have a desire to experiment and experience different hops, malt, styles etc etc. If someone wants to help speed up this process by have a pint of two, and gives honest feedback of my beer, then I am a happy man.

I like the fact that people are used to paying ~$50 for a case of beer, and to drink yours for free they are pretty stoked. I like it that way!

I'll start a tip jar for my homebrew when I start charging people for food at my place!

 

[drew9242]

Can't wait to get me shed sorted and taps all ready to go with some beers. Then me mates can come round all the time for some beers on a friday arvo. Supplying a keg of beer for me mates party for the first time today. And i am actually really excited about it, and nervous. But no i am not charging for this, just want to get my beer out there and supply a bit of a novelty for the party bash.

 

[Gout]

I have never charged, however i have had mates ask to buy it ( a few kegs) however i have never done this. (i end up drinking it)
I dont mind brewing for a birthday party now and then and always try to have beers on tap when people drop in. Some take advantage of this and visit drink as much as possible then leave but i think gee they must love the beer

Some come over to watch when i brew, some bring nice beers for us to sample - all in all beer provides us a lot of fun.
One friend who only drank VB and was so defensive of it 3 years ago now wont touch it and now drinks mostly LCPA, German wheat's etc - i think my job is done

 

[jbirbeck]

charge mates...nope. More than happy to provide beer for parties etc. No tip jar, nothing. I'll offer up my beer to drink to one and all. and they love it.

Family, I'll take a keg or two to family events - no charge even though they'll knock off the keg easy everytime. I get to enjoy it on the day and I get to brew again, they get nutted. Win-win-win.

But doing up something in the bottle for family that I otherwise wouldn't make...they can pay for the ingredients. I can't keep up with demand. I'll hand over bottles from left overs from filling the keg but a batch made especially for them (and there are 4 of them) $10-$15 ish. They offer it because they get better beer made to their wants/desires and they know it can cost more than that to get ingredients because they have bought ingredients for batches for me before. If they don't pay up, I don't ask, or pressure. The next one comes around and they get more beer but they better help me move house

 

[Silo Ted]

Some of you old farts need to listen to 'Johnny Cash: What is truth?' Older than most of you and even he could see that what people wear (not 'where') is less important than who they are.

Off topic. Confusing words from a guy whose very stage presence was in part designed around the "Man in Black" persona for so many years. Or were you being ironic?

Back on topic. It pleases me that people often ask me for a few beers that one of their mates would love, guys I dont even know. I dont ask for money, but lately I have simply refused them. Why the heck should I shout beers to blokes I dont know, and lose bottles in the process? As for putting an accurate price on homebrew, including ingredients, petrol, labour @ $15 p/h or whatever the minimum wage is in this country, then it would be somewehere around $7 a bottle. As far as Im concerned, these strangers can go and drink a bottle of VB.

As for mates, or even any invited guests to my house, the beer flows free for all.

 

[QldKev]

I also think it depends on your setup.

If a mate drops in and you offer a drink - no charge.

If mates come around every friday night for beers always at your place, then I think it is fair then chip in towards costs. My neighbour over the back fence used to come over basically every Friday, Sat and Sundays for beers. Back then I was still drinking kits, and bottling. Occasionally he would turn up with a beer kit or two; also often on bottling day he would lend a hand; (since I was running 3 fermentors at that stage = 90 tallies I needed the help)

QldKev

 

[Hoyt]

Just the satisfaction of having people want to drink beer that you made far out weighs what it costs. I had a great long weekend away with mates and it didnt matter one bit that the four kegs in the mobile bar i built for the weekend were empty i will do it again as the comments on the beer and bar was better than i thought it would be . Also a couple of guys are starting to brew now so its all good.

 

[HarryB]

I can't see myself ever needing/wanting to charge people for brews (notwithstanding the fact that it is technically illegal).

Most homebrewers brew more than they can drink anyway and having a higher turn around means you can brew more often (after all, this is the fun part) and keep your kegged beers for getting a bit long in the tooth.

It's win-win.

 

[MarkBastard]

Some of you old farts need to listen to 'Johnny Cash: What is truth?' Older than most of you and even he could see that what people wear (not 'where') is less important than who they are.

Why the **** is the spelling of jail/gaol even relevant to this discussion?

I love that song.

Gee you have good taste in music manticle I must say.

 

[MarkBastard]

Off topic. Confusing words from a guy whose very stage presence was in part designed around the "Man in Black" persona for so many years. Or were you being ironic?

The song isn't really about what young kids wear. It's about the older generation constantly not understanding the young generation and simply writing them off without trying to understand them. It ends with the message that the old people need to think about the fact that the young people will get older and inherit the world and hence the older people need to treat them better and guide them rather than just be stuck up about it.

Basically the kids are just trying to find the answers and the oldies are too busy bitching about them having long hair or other trivial things to give them the guidance all young people need, to find what 'truth' is.

 

[mje1980]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='697284' date='Oct 28 2010, 07:03 PM']I'll spell it programme till I die. I don't care what the government says. And it is still gaol too.[/quote]

Too bloody right!. What's next?? changing from mum to mom??. :icon_vomit:

 

[Nick JD]

Charging mates to drink your homebrew is like putting "Donate" button on a web forum. :unsure: h34r: :lol:

 

[QldKev]

Charging mates to drink your homebrew is like putting "Donate" button on a web forum. :unsure: h34r: :lol:

I was going to donate some money to you, but your donate button does not work. :unsure:

QldKev

 

[Nick JD]

I was going to donate some money to you, but your donate button does not work. :unsure:

I get enough money from advertising, you don't need to.

 

[Eater]

Instead of a tip jar, make it a swear jar

"F**k thats a good beer" - In the jar

"Dude that beer is sh*t" - In the jar

"How much f**king hops went in that?"

and so on

That way they are paying not for the beer but its effect, so far exempt from tax (but dont tell the gov, they will tax it)

 

[Sammus]

I charge what the pub charges for a beer. If they aint willin to pay they can f*ck off down the local and drink VB.

 

[Silo Ted]

I charge what the pub charges for my beer.

Your beer is on tap at a pub?

 

[Sammus]

Your beer is on tap at a pub?

lol, sure why not fixed

 

[stew.w]

ive got a tip jar on my fridge otherwise i wouldn't be able to brew as much, but i only expect my mates who come around every thursday or friday night to put money in it. if its someone from work or someone i dont see that often i dont care. if i have a party at my house i dont have a tip jar.
my mates are all for it. it means they hardly ever have to buy beer and its heaps cheaper, but also i get to brew more often.
i dont make money off it, it gets me enough to make another brew.

Stewart