Does it get expensive?

[MashBag]

This post got me thinking..

I can see this hobby getting expensive if I let myself get carried away down the all grain route

That's a very interesting point.....

I honestly believe you get a massive taste improvement.

But expensive not sure.
I purchased a BM20 more that 10 years ago, it has made many bottles. If I total them up vs the cost am I ahead? Probably. My house beer is cheaper than coke!

Does anyone think all grain is expensive?

 

[jof]

No, but then I don't have an all in one or stainless steel fv. I just use a £120 boiler, plastic fv & a hybrid biab method.

 

[Sadfield]

Yes and no. It's all relative, compared to buying the equivalent beer in a pub, no. What people can buy compared to what you actually need to brew AG, yes. It can be an expensive way to save money.

There's cost and benefits that go beyond the financial aspect.

 

[Baz Chaz]

To me first and foremost, it's a hobby which I enjoy. A chance to experiment with different recipes, mix up the grain/hops/yeast, brew small batches regularly.
As for cost, like any other hobby it can be as expensive as you want (I know mates who spend a lot of money on golf/fishing etc) but brewing can be done without going all shiny if you want. One other benefit is at the end of the day you're producing something you enjoy.

 

[Agentgonzo]

For about 15 years I used the same set of plastic kit (3 vessel setup) that probably cost £150-£200 initially. By the end of that 15 year period I was well ahead in the saving money race.

Then I got a grainfather and a bunch of other kit. But as mentioned, it's Hobby, so I'm not trying to save money.

At a rough guess, I said say that even after the purchase of all my new kit, I'm probably roughly even (or maybe still ahead) Vs buying the same quantity of beer from the supermarket

 

[Twostage]

Interesting question which prompted me to do some maths (easily done). I was looking at a nice shiny fermenting vessel recently which costs around £1,000. My initial thought was it was expensive. If you use it to save £2 per pint (saving chosen to make the maths easier), you'd break even after 10 batches. So the cost would be justifiable, especially if you like what is produced. (Saving figure would need working out properly to get past the purchasing committee ).

One of my goals when I took brewing back up was to stop regularly buying bottles of beer. Goal achieved, but it's currently expensive because I'm brewing to stock up so I'm making more than I can drink. Once I've got healthy stocks it will be cheap

 

[Rodcx500z]

For me it's not about saving it's about the hobby and and doing stuff, i mainly brew bitters ipa's pale ales, i now have all i need equipment wise ie fridge inkbird cornys and gas. if i fancy a stronger beer or the new fancy fandangled stuff i buy it so yeah i am happy with what i do

 

[MickDundee]

Home brewing is the most expensive way to save money.

Did I need to spend £30 on a Rapt Pill in the MM Black Friday sale? Not really. Did I buy one? Of course! Will I replace my Inkbird with a Rapt temperature controller at some point over the next few months so I can link the pill to it? Probably.

 

[DuncR]

As with anything in life the important thing is make sure you never buy online
a) post beer
b) when it’s raining and you’re bored
Having said that the idea of that Rapt pil is tempting

 

[MickDundee]

that the idea of that Rapt pil is tempting

MM have sold out - 50% off was a very good deal, especially since some retailers are still selling it at a higher price than MM’s £60 “before” price.

I’d been eyeing them up at £75 in the summer around birthday time.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I started all grain with a second hand 8 gallon pan which cost £60 with a couple of grain bags and a chiller.
Already had a fridge which was £30 plus inkbird for the same and brew on an old gas stove.
I am looking to move up to a nice shiny stainless steel fermenter though, but I like buckets as I can fit two ( just ) in my fridge.
Whatever makes you happy, like all tools it's how you use them that matters.

 

[klaus]

Last time I bought a pint in London it was about £6, good beer certainly.
Agree everything has and is still going up but there are always bargains around.
Occasionally I have gone overboard with AG ingredients, once a 500ml bottle cost me £1.80 (a few years back) but generally it's max £1.20, certainly kits are around 90p. I don't have fancy gear to finance, make do with buckets mainly, some of my bottles are 20 years old. What counts for me is does it taste better than in the pub? 2 out of 3 defo, but I'm biased of course.

 

[Sandimas]

I'm still brewing BIAB with the same £15 stockpot and mash bag I bought 12 years ago, 253 brews later all I've spent money on is gas and ingredients, and couple of 10L minikegs for serving: bottles are recycled.

 

[Rwilts]

Like others I enjoy the hobby (more than the drinking ! The 200+ bottles in garage will testify to that). I don't think it's a particular expensive hobby compared to many others (scuba diving in the 90's required much more initial expenditure and you couldn't really scale up!).

Yes I am guilty of 'upgrading' from buckets to fermizilla, pots to an AIO but that's part of the fun.

Overall don't see me quitting for a while

 

[Agentgonzo]

Even with shiny AIO equipment, brewing is one of my cheaper hobbies. Annual fees for sports are a little under £400 a year, without travel and equipment. That's a lot more than I've spent on brewing equipment over a 2-3 year period. And the brewing equipment lasts decades

 

[Sadfield]

Same. I've spent way more on guitars, amps, pedals, music recording software and that's a hobby I'm far less competent at. Oh..

 

[Twostage]

Same. I've spent way more on guitars, amps, pedals, music recording software and that's a hobby I'm far less competent at. Oh..

No keyboards ?

 

[Sadfield]

No keyboards ?

Had a Yamaha S30 for a while, now have a small midi controller. I'm even less competent on keys.

 

[Dean1967]

When brewing for myself AG worked out cheaper , inviting friends to try my beer was the downfall . Still I'd rather have a house full and poor than alone and rich.

 

[Old Fart At Play]

It is an interesting question. I did the sums a while back, in order to convince myself it was OK to buy a G40. At current prices it costs me about £20 for a 20 litre batch, ie 50p a bottle (£6 for 5kg Golden promise, £1.50 for 500g crystal, £3 yeast, £8 for hops, £1.50 odds and sods).

A nice beer in the supermarket is typically around £2.00 a bottle, £1.50 saving, means that after 600 bottles I have broken even. That is 15 batches, which for me is about 18 months. I've had it that long already.

It is a hobby, and it is fun, and that is why most of us do it. But it is nice that - unlike the vast majority of hobbies - you recover any investment fairly quickly.

I honestly don't know how it compares for price with kits or extract (which I guess was the actual OP question - oops sorry), as I went all grain 30 years ago, but I do know I wouldn't want to go back to kits or extract.

Cheers!