Cost To Make All Grain Beer

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Caster suga makes da beer smooth!
 
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
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$1745 First 3 months
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Hope it gets cheaper
People spend alot more on their hobbies tho.
Now if you were into say, mountain biking, that's about half a proper bike. (I have a mate at work who has this as his 'other' hobby)
And mud doesn't taste anywhere near as good as beer ;)
The expense of many other hobbies is a good excuse justification for this one.

All the points have been covered, buy grain in bulk etc. Looking to save some money in the way you do this hobby isn't a bad thing, but as others have said, it is easy to
While the main reason I brew isn't to save money the truth is that at the moment it is actually important. I like good beer and I can't really afford to buy as much of the types of beer that I like so making them is great.
It's just a winner everyway you look.
You get the enjoyment of creating them, you get the enjoyment of drinking them and you save money as well.
And before any accountant types say anything no I don't factor my time in the cost, when it comes to brewing, I work for free :)

OT: Icing sugar. Hmmmmm. Is it wrong that this idea seems interesting to me? What makes the consistency, does it have additives? A belgian with a portion of icing sugar?
 
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.

:huh:

The 'Engineering, numbers, likes to tinker with shit' side of my brain read that and got interested to work it out...... for about a nanosecond when the 'Enjoys making beer, drinking beer, non-geek' side of the brain overuled and said....

"Who cares?"
 
i think (and am hoping) That the first year of brewing will be the most expenisive.. getting all the equiptment together. but the folllowing years should be alot cheaper just paying for ingredients..
im sure things break and need to be upgraded and so on.. but the bulk of the equiptment seems pretty solid and will last a long time.

I need to add a Mill in my one off payments too. im buying that on the weekend.

and perhapes i should add on all the unnecessary crap that SWMBO buys with the excuse "You spend all that money on your beer I should be able to get this"
damn her! + She doesnt even drink so i cant return fire.
 
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).

LOL and no I am not an accountant, I just suffer them at work.


Obviously, you forgot OH expenses :lol: Man cannot brew without electricity and gas etc !!
 
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

Nothing wrong with sponges.... B)


Sponge
 
:huh:

The 'Engineering, numbers, likes to tinker with shit' side of my brain read that and got interested to work it out...... for about a nanosecond when the 'Enjoys making beer, drinking beer, non-geek' side of the brain overuled and said....

"Who cares?"
My point was that $1300 worth of gear is really only $10/brew. This helps to annoy/confuse/baffle the other half when they see how much you spend.
 
having just put a pile of money into my new brewery and much assorted stainless bling- i occasionally feel bad about the expense, but compared to the money i put into my car, it's really not that much. and then i think, some guys pour thousands of dollars into model trains, and at the end of the day, all they can show/ share/ enjoy with their friends/ spouses/ others is...model trains


remi
 
having just put a pile of money into my new brewery and much assorted stainless bling- i occasionally feel bad about the expense, but compared to the money i put into my car, it's really not that much. and then i think, some guys pour thousands of dollars into model trains, and at the end of the day, all they can show/ share/ enjoy with their friends/ spouses/ others is...model trains


remi


Gold!

I am yet to drink a model train I enjoyed!!!
 
I am yet to drink a model train I enjoyed!!!

My trains are still at a really high SG. Should I pitch more yeast? :(
 
Tried to take a hydrometer reading and now there's caboose wheels stuck in the tap :(
 
Dunno, sounds like the man has been railroaded into brewing.Hey trevc, Sounds like you need a track maintenance crew to clear your tap, I'm sure some of the crew around here would volunteer to help sort the problem if refreshments were available :D
 
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