Extract - Reducing Costs

[Bribie G]

I'm just on my way up the street to get a can and a bag of dex for the next brew as described in my post above. They too are a mixed type business, they do garden gnomes and fountains and pots but they are outside. The brew shop itself doesn't pretend to be all things to all people, it's clean and tidy and a big range of kits, fermenters, taps, hydrometers etc. However they don't stock yeasts, grains or hops (apart from a rack of teabags) and they do ok. Kit prices etc are comparable to Woolies or IGA. I support them for everything I can't get from Ross, e.g. kits, dex, bottles etc. (not that he would want to stock Coopers or other cans of goop anyway)

Personally I think it's great that the really serious stuff like grains, hops and yeast are becoming centralised in places like CraftBrewer where we can get the advantage of economy of scale (buying power), freshness, range and professionalism and rapid delivery. Best of both worlds.

In the case of Brisbane I don't think there's really room for more than a handful of LHBSs and because Brisbane is such a spread out city, petrol costs and travelling times are no match for nine bucks freight for a big order from Ross or one of the other sponsors.

 

[pdilley]

Aye,

I'm doing about 3.2 Kilos of LME (2 tins) - $23
18% adjunct of simple sugars is about 550g - $guessing 3
Hops for armoma = partial bag guessing $2 if I decide to use
Partial S-04 satchet as built up a liquid starter to pitch - $1

All up $27-29

I also decreased the total volume to 20L but ended up 20.5 so that increases the per serve a bit.

Still better than the store.

 

[Nick JD]

My "cheapie" is this one:

2kg LDME = $16
0.5kg Dextrose = $1.50
40g hops = $4
300g carapils = $2
Safale = free.

$23.50 for 23L.

The most any of my extract brews comes to is about $30.

Last I saw it was $35 for 9 liters of crap beer in a box.

 

[Bizier]

I agree here.

I am using the last of a 25kg sack of "Extra Malt" that I got a while ago from Ibrew for $90 just as their prices were about to rise. But I will be moving to BIAB very shortly.

If you can use less hops (do as I say, not as I do on that one), maybe get an amount of good basemalt and do a small partial, and also sub a small portion of your fermentables with cheap sugar h34r: added 2 days into the ferment, you can make fine beer and reduce the costs.

I think that one thing that you shouldn't overlook is yeast... make sure you have good, happy yeast. So if you are going to recycle it, then be meticulous, maybe top-crop US05 or a good liquid, but be anal about it. Otherwise wear the cost of a sachet. And Ross' re-packed ones are well cheap enough to justify the cost if you treat them right.

 

[cdbrown]

Once I switched from purchasing those 1kg bags of LDME for over $10 to getting a 20kg bag at $120 the brew costs dropped. I average around $30 per brew based on my little spreadsheet I use to track my stock, purchase costs and costs per brew. Most expensive were a weizen and a cider and that's because of the liquid yeast which I have kept starters of so next time those particular brews will be cheaper. Thankfully Gryphon Brewing is nearby and has great prices on cracked grains and hop pellets.

Get a big bag of LDME, build up some yeast starters and you'll see the price per batch drop.

 

[raven19]

A few of my thoughts on this subject FWIW:

I would concur with the responses here along the lines of reusing yeast, etc.

I found I used to check prices to work out costs of a brew, but now its about making new and improved styles of beer, better than I could hope to purchase commercially.

HB kits will still be alot less than commercial beer per litre regardless.

The absolute cheapest way to go is to buy malted grains or DME in bulk and then mill your own grain, grow your own hops, do yeast slants in test tubes, etc..., countered with the extra time taken to do all this.

So much depends on your own situation, and what you want out of it.

Good luck with lowering your costs per batch - buying in bulk is a sure fire bet to reduce costs!

Just my bulk buyed 2c. :icon_cheers:

 

[Pollux]

The absolute cheapest way to go is to buy malted grains or DME in bulk and then mill your own grain, grow your own hops, do yeast slants in test tubes, etc..., countered with the extra time taken to do all this.

In the event I EVER win lotto, this is my early retirement plan right here.....