Cost To Make All Grain Beer

[SJW]

I don't care how much a brew cost to make and I could not be bothered to work it out. For me its the time I spend making it thats more valuable. I understand that some people get into homebrewing to save dollars but you should not be getting into Allgrain brewing to save dollars. AG is more about passion and the thrill of making great beer from scratch. I can't understand so called AGers banging on about saving a few cent here and there by reusing dry yeast or some other crazy idea, when if your do AG you would or should be happy to go and spend $70 on a conical flask or $100 on a Celli tap or $250 on a March pump or $500 on s/s valves and fittings or $300 on a co2 bottle or $150 on a reg. or $200 on a mill and the list goes on.
I just get anoyed when anyone starts talking about the cost of AG beer.
Sorry to the bloke who started this thread.


Steve

 

[jojai]

Steve, passion can exist while still cost cutting (for instance, I don't spend much at all on equipment but I've just read a thick book about the chemistry of malting and brewing, I read the yeast handbook and I've read a history of beer - I'm studying visual arts so the time spent to read those books was for the love of beer). As money isn't free flowing I'm always up for a bargain, and that doesn't reflect my attitude toward AG at all, it reflects my bank account. (When I graduate I plan on buying a good rig, but for now I'd rather have food with my beer).

Not to make any assumptions about feelncede, but the cost is obviously an issue otherwise the thread wouldn't have started.

 

[warra48]

Brewing is cheaper than golf. Brewing your own gets you cheaper beer than commercial stuff, and mostly it is far better quality.
I've set all my costs in BeerSmith to $0.00, so my beer is free.
My brewery was set up after I retired, as it is a post retirement hobby for me.
I've had some help, eg I did a deal with the family they'd all chip in and get me a MillMaster for last Christmas/Birthday, and I told them it was all I wanted and not to get anything else. Might try the same deal this year with a counterflow chiller.

 

[beeroclock]

i recon use blokes spend way to much on your beerz, buy kits from bilo work is dun for you then. Suga is cheap to.

 

[T.D.]

You're one of a kind beeroclock! :lol: :lol:

 

[warrenlw63]

Beeroclock, I think you're posting in the wrong forum. Just looking at your avatar. Are you from the Ozarks?

Warren -

 

[Franko]

i recon use blokes spend way to much on your beerz, buy kits from bilo work is dun for you then. Suga is cheap to.

Oh my




Franko

 

[pjwhite5]

Hi All again,

I would like to say thank you to the guys that gave some good estimates on how much they spend on grain, I was just after some numbers.

I am not really concerned with the cost, as I have a pretty good setup, and slowly upgrading my 5 keg 3 tap freezer bar to include 3 cellis and 2 more kegs plus the added cost to set up to do AG . If I was trying to brew on the cheap or save money I would brew homebrand kits with a KG of table sugar.

As I really enjoy brewing and getting to sample 20 odd litres of my finest at the end of the process, I was mearly enquiring on what most AG brewer spend on Grain.

Why spend 25 or more dollars on something that you can buy for 15 or 20 dollars ???


Anyway thanks again

Cede

 

[Katherine]

:icon_offtopic:

cede... I noticed you live in Holsworthy... I went to Holsworthy High and grew up in Hammondville... I noticed today someone else that lives in Wattle Grove... I cant remember his name... But his a All grainer! Could come in handy!

 

[petesbrew]

i recon use blokes spend way to much on your beerz, buy kits from bilo work is dun for you then. Suga is cheap to.

You don't post enough, beeroclock. Keep em coming! :beerbang:

 

[Trent]

All comedy (if I could call it that!) aside, feelncede, the cost of each beer depends on the ingredients you put into it, etc...
You can do a mild at 1030 OG and 20IBU that will cost you maybe $15-18 or so for a 23L batch. You can do an IPA that is a 1070 starting gravity, 75IBU and has 100g of hops in the last 10 mins, along with a 50g dry hop, and will probably set you back $50-60 for a 23L batch. I have done an 1100 OG Imperial Stout at 100IBU - using lower alpha hops - that cost me somewhere in the vicinity of $90 for a 23L batch (I got terrible efficiency - was aiming for 1125!).
As an average, I guess you would look at $30 to $50 a 23L batch, I couldnt tell you for sure, as I dont really count - I buy sacks of grain, and hops often enough to have no real idea of what it costs me overall.
As you say the cost is of little importance to you in the scheme of things, I would spend an average of $40-50 on a batch, and am very happy doing so. Maybe more than others do, but it is my honest answer to your question.
All the best
Trent
PS Butters - I am happy to call it inexpensive beer, rather than cheap
EDIT - The reason I would spend $25 on something I could get for $15, is I generally go for the import malt (usually maris otter) and always use english crystal malts, and german munich or vienna. Probably a minimal difference, but when I brew the same recipe's with all import malts vs all australian malts (especially with a high percentage of specialty malts) I have always been happier with the imports. My experience only, so your results may vary.
Trent.

 

[T.D.]

I generally find it works out at around the $1/L figure (although I rarely sit down and figure out how much each brew costs).

I do 17L batches mainly. I would use ~3.5kg of grain, and say 50g of hops. So that's say $8.5 for the grain, and about $4 for the hops. Then if you add in yeast, priming sugar and all that jazz, it would probably come to around $15-17 I suppose.

I always think of HB as being 50c per pint. Makes the $7-8 per pint you get charged in Sydney bars these days a bit hard to take.

 

[beeroclock]

td mine is probably less than dollar for a litre, more suga is the key keeps it cheep and keeps them happy, me mates are sponges

 

[T.D.]

Hey beeroclock, have you ever been tempted to try a 100% sugar beer??? Could be an interesting experiment. Would only cost around $10 for a 22L batch! :super:

 

[fraser_john]

Personally, I try not to think of the cost, partly because it scares me to add up the $ I spend on building/rebuilding equipment, even when I get a power supply from the tip-shop for $2.50, its just another expense, however, mostly because its a great hobby! You get to make something of your own, which you get to enjoy every mouthful you drink. If you are good enough, you get to impress friends and family with a quality product, if you are really good, you can win at competitions.

All that said, when I brew a 40L batch, its costing anywhere from $30 - $80 depending on what I make (mild ale through to barley wine).

Now I am thirsty thinking about it, wanna get home from work for a beer.....

 

[beeroclock]

Hey beeroclock, have you ever been tempted to try a 100% sugar beer??? Could be an interesting experiment. Would only cost around $10 for a 22L batch! :super:

would this work without tins of goo td, i think it would make a nice clear beer, that sure would impres those filter blokes lol
i might even put a schooie of it on the wots in the glas thred

 

[Screwtop]

i recon use blokes spend way to much on your beerz, buy kits from bilo work is dun for you then. Suga is cheap to.

Yeah.....Yeah......and suck more wombats :blink:

 

[warra48]

Who is beeroclock???
Is he a regular who has registered another name just to give us all a wind up and a laugh?

 

[tazman1967]

I want beeroclock to post some of his finest recipes....That would be awesome..... :icon_drunk:

Aaahhh the good old days...a tin of Coopers Draught, kilo of white sugar, put in a big bucket, put some cloth over the top to stop the flies falling in...mmmm...yummy

We could all learn a thing or two.....NNNOOOOTT

 

[Brewtus]

I got into brewing 2/3 months ago. (im going to all grain this weekend)
My costs so far (roughly. memory is a bit foggy):
Fridge $100
Original Tap/regulator Setup: $200
CO2 Bottle: $300
Second Tap: $50
Wine Fridge: $150
Fermenter x 4 : $120
Cubes x 4 : 80
Hydrometer x 3 (broke 2) : $45
Kits x 10 : 150
Malt/dex x 10: 150
yeast x 5 : 15
Misc Grain for extras: $ 10
Misc Hops for extras: $20
Easy Siphon: $15
Beer Filter: $80
Misc Hosing: $10
Sanataiser/wipes/cleaners: $20

all grain
------
Stockpot : $120
Refractometre: $60
Burner & Reg : $120
Grain&Hops for 1st grain: $20
-------
$1745 First 3 months
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Hope it gets cheaper
People spend alot more on their hobbies tho.

You guys need to separate your operating expenditure (opex: Grain, Hops, yeast, gas, wipes etc) from you capital expenditure (Capex: Fermenter, stockpots, nasa burner, plumbing etc). The opex you calculate per brew. The capex you take at 7% to 10% per year, ie the interest you would pay if you stuck it in a bank or what it cost to borrow plus the cost of the kit divided by the no. of brews or years it would last.

in this case about $1300 so $130 for interest plus (say a 10y life at 26 brews/y) = (130+(1300/10))/26 = $10 a brew if you don't buy any more kit and keep it for 10y. Add that to your opex/brew and you have the answer.

Note that your hydrometers are counted as opex.....LOL and no I am not an accountant, I just suffer them at work.