Cheapest fastest brewing beer for a young guy

[memainmon]

Hi, as a broke guy who isn't fussy what the cheapest and fastest way I can go about making beer? For what its worth I'm only in the middle of a coopers starter kit brew atm but have no idea if kits are the cheapest, i'd be willing to buy in bulk. Hopefully this won't turn into a discussion of why not to pursue brewing this way as I'm a broke uni student who wants to pursue a cheap hobby and branch out at a later time.

 

[marksy]

Fresh wort kits.

 

[TimT]

Good way to start out I guess the kits they sell in some Coles and Woolies will be cheaper, though I don't know for sure.

 

[danestead]

Fastest - either ring up your local u-brew-it type place and ask them to brew it for you or buy a fresh wort kit and ferment it at home.

Cheapest - Kits are probably your cheapest way of brewing beer but the cost of brewing an all grain lager with just base malt and bittering hops is probably about the same price (once you are setup with gear)

 

[Droopy Brew]

1 kit can- cheapest you can find, 1 kg of dextrose. Mix with 23l of water and sprinkle the yeast. Ferment at a high temperature to get it done quickly.
Will be the fastest and cheapest way of doing it but will also taste like shit. Fresh wort kit is more expensive but vastly better beer but you will need to invest some money in being able to keep some form of temp control in summer or it too wont be great- better than a kit but not great without temp control

 

[BrosysBrews]

Maybe a moderate priced option would be good, try black rock golden ale, 1kg brew blend 20, 15g Galaxy steep for 20min in a coffee plunger then use kit yeast. Ferm at about 18-20 for about a week, bottle wait 2weeks and drink. Should be a lot nicer then most kits but at a bloody reasonable price. $30 ish for 2.5 slabs, is that cheap enough for decent ish beer?

 

[memainmon]

does anyone have any idea about the cheapest suppliers for fresh wort kits if buying in bulk?

 

[memainmon]

1 kit can- cheapest you can find, 1 kg of dextrose. Mix with 23l of water and sprinkle the yeast. Ferment at a high temperature to get it done quickly.
Will be the fastest and cheapest way of doing it but will also taste like shit. Fresh wort kit is more expensive but vastly better beer but you will need to invest some money in being able to keep some form of temp control in summer or it too wont be great- better than a kit but not great without temp control

What does ''sprink the yeast'' mean?

 

[Droopy Brew]

It is dry yeast- sprinkle it on top of the wort.

I wouldnt recommend this procedure I detailed above- it will create a headache inducing fusil alcohol and you will probably never brew again. But it is the cheapest and quickest way.

First thing to do is get temp control. Keep an eye out for a cheap fridge or freezer that will fit a fermenter- you can usually get one for free if you keep an eye on gumtree. Get on Ebay and buy an stc1000 for under $30 and an extension lead from bunnings for $5. Then do a search here for "STC1000" to learn how to wire up. The $50- 60 you spend doing this will be recouped after 2 brews and will make them 200% better.

If going kits, I find the darker beers such as stouts are the pick of the kits. Type "Toucan" or Twocan into the search engine for some easy cheap and tasty recipes. Or a fresh wort kit at about $50 for 20 liters (2 and a bit slabs) starts saving you coin very quickly and will be better than most beer you can buy.

 

[Moad]

I saw some homebrand cans the other day for $12... comes with yeast.

It wont be good but it will be beer.

 

[MartinOC]

+1 for temp. control. That's the single biggest investment/improvement in your brews, whatever way you go. Here's some links to get you started:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital-STC-1000-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-W-Sensor-AC-220V-/361092319799?

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/66428-stc-1000-in-pictures/ Caveat: If you're not sure about your ability to follow a wiring diagram &/or pictures, get someone else who does to do it for you.

Fridge-hunting is in your hands.......

 

[Captain Kimbo]

Yeah I'm with MartinOC on temp control. That and cleaning are the 2 most important things for a good beer. I recently had to dump 23 ltrs because during a few hot days the fermenter hit 28 C. If not for that then I would be close to drinking a delicious IPA

 

[Pogierob]

grab some coopers cans(or equivelant)
example:
https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_16752/coopers-home-brew-draught-1-7kg
grab some dextrose
example:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25kg-dextrose-Glucose-brew-sugar-Home-brew-Wine-Beer-Cider-SPIRIT-/380923361575?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item58b0cd3927
grab some US-05 yeast
example:
http://www.hopdealzaustralia.com/#!yeast-dealz/c1i6y

throw away the yeast under the can lid.
follow the instructions
try to keep fermenter as close to 18-19 degrees and keep it CONSISTANT, fluctuations in temp are not good.
leave it in the fermenter for 10 days minimum and make sure you get a gravity reading with a hyrdometer to ensure fermentation has completed.

bottle.

store

chill

drink.


REPEAT..

 

[Judanero]

^^ +2 temp control. Can get the controller for $20, can use a spare extension cord if you have one or buy one from Bunnings for ~$3.

Fridges pop up for free on Gumtree fairly regularly as long as you keep an eye out.

Good sanitation practice and temp control will have you making nice beers in no time, fresh wort kits will get you easily into home brewing (and you get to keep the cubes) though I think they're about $40 each or so?

Kits and bits can cost you anywhere from $15- $30 (per 23L) depending on the brand of tin, using LDME, brew enhancers or Dex (resist the urge to use table sugar), using hops or steeping grain.

There is a thread on here I think it's called get into all grain for $30 (or something similar) that I would recommend reading for further down the line if you want to take the slippery slope

 

[paulyman]

While brewing on the cheap, I highly recommend using some of the savings to once in a blue moon buy a few different brews from Dans or similar. You will learn what is out there and hopefully find some styles you like that you didn't even know existed. Once you find something you like there are plenty of people on here that will guide you to a cheap recipe that will get you close.

 

[indica86]

Get Belle Saison and ferment @ ambient, she'll be rite maite!!!

 

[paulyman]

Won't be long until you are brewing something as good or hopefully way better than you can get at the shops for the same price.

 

[yum beer]

Coopers Pale Ale tin, Coopers Brew Enhancer 2, ferment at 18-20c or as close as you can get for 2 weeks, bottle, let sit 4 weeks then start drinking.
Not great beer but drinkable and cheap.
You will soon look into ways of spending only a few more dollars for better quality.
Above brew less than $25 for 2 1/2 cartons.
For an extra $5 replace BE2 with 500gm Light Dry Malt and 250gm brown sugar then add some hop tea(look that up), Citra, Galaxy, Amarillo, Centennial are all good.

 

[Bribie G]

If you can find Coopers original series Lager on special for $12 or less, just use two tins with one of the kit yeasts (it tends to froth a bit) and keep it as cool as possible .... wet towels whatever.
You'll get a far more tasty beer than using dextrose and fewer off flavours, and still ten bucks a slab equivalent.

 

[hwall95]

Decent cheap kit beer that's easy to drink would be the Coopers Mexican + 1kg light dried malt + 1/4-1/2kg white sugar. Ferment <19 degrees with kit yeast, should turn out to be something decent. If you like hoppy beer do a little boil with cascade or for 10 minutes.

Or try coopers pale kit + 1kg malt + 1/4-1/2 kg sugar. The malt should give a decent flavour while the sugar will help dry it out the malt extract and make it drinkable and refreshing


I'm also a poor uni student so I feel your pain although I spend far to much on brewing gear and beer related hoods in general but hey it's a great hobby and all grain + kegging is amazing!