This Homebrew malarky, is it paying off........

[Brewbob]

Well, I've been doing some sums. Since I started brewing again in Jan I've made 3 kits, have one in the FV and another to pick up when I visit my folks. I make that 5 kits bought and paid for, so about 200 pints. I've totted up all the equipment I've bought, most of it will last for a good while so I won't need to buy it again.

Now the cost...drumroll...I've worked it out to be about £250 give or take a few sundries. So that works out about £1.25 a pint. So there you go, now I have my kit together, and have some stock building up the costs will only come down, and not only that its a satisfying fun hobby with an improving learning curve. Glad I started it up again.

 

[BIGJIM72]

Go AG/BIAB & after an initial outlay see that figure drop my friend.

 

[morethanworts]

I wonder how many homebrewers would really be 'saving' money (per pint) if an accountant were doing the books! (minus the accountant's fees!)

 

[Brewbob]

BJ, I fully intend to go AG/BIAB I just need to get the kit together. For now I need to save what money I have. I've laid out a bit, not much mind, but I'm happy doing the kits, building up stock of perfectly drinkable beer (when the PBs don't leak gas!). I'm looking at getting Wheelers book, and Palmers book, researching it a bit before going for it. I'm terrible at DIY, but resourceful, I've looked at a couple of your how-to's with interest and just been reading ScottM's thread about going BIAB...So it is on the cards. One day, oh yes, one day I will move to the dark side

 

[BIGJIM72]

Some folk are a bit sniffy about kits,but as a learning curve they are great. You learn the importance of cleanliness,how yeast behaves & you get a beer at the end of it. This brewing lark is a progressive hobby.

 

[DethApostle]

I reckon, including delivery cost for the ingredients etc, my beer costs me c. 56p per 500ml bottle to make (excluding the cost of the bottle mind you)
Compare that to c. £2 per bottle in my local beer shop, and roughly speaking I save £1.44 per bottle I brew, or £60.48 over a 23l batch.

My AG kit cost me £425 all in (includes the wooden brew rig, extra FVs and isn't the bare minimum kit basically), so therefore I personally need to brew 7 batches to make the money back, 8 batches to start seeing an overall saving.

The enjoyment isn't solely in the cost-saving, that's the biggest thing to remember! :party: : :thumb:

 

[graysalchemy]

My kit cost me about £300 and I have brewed probably 2000 pints at about 20p a pint. So for 2000 pints I have spent £700.

Now if I was to buy bottled beer from a supermarket at £1.50 a pint I would have spent £3000.

Leaving me with a saving of £2300. Now I don't think even my accountant could find £2300 pounds worth of expenditure in that lot :wha: :wha:

Oh yes his fees :lol: :lol:

 

[Hawks]

Now if I was to buy bottled beer from a supermarket at £1.50 a pint I would have spent £3000.

and it would have mostly been cr*p

 

[calumscott]

Some folk are a bit sniffy about kits,but as a learning curve they are great. You learn the importance of cleanliness,how yeast behaves & you get a beer at the end of it. This brewing lark is a progressive hobby.

And there's more! As you get the hang of the basics with kits you can start playing with additional ingredients, hops, speciality grains, extracts and more to learn more about the flavour components of beer.

Good kits brewed well make excellent beer, normally better than shop bought bottled ales.

 

[morethanworts]

There are going to be some brilliant brewers like yourselves : , but possibly a more silent majority of people who dip in and out of homebrew without really getting to grips with it enough to produce commercial quality beer consistently. My point didn't say it wasn't possible to save money - it clearly is - but just how many really do, if we include everybody who's ever bought even the most basic kit?

You'd have to write down a loss for anything from the outset that wasn't as good as commercial beer (or better!) and cost sanitiser, electricity, gas and water, books, any brewhouse DIY, fuel to the shops, postage, etc etc - basically anything that you could sneak onto your tax form if it was your business - and that doesn't put any figure on your time. [We assume we love doing it so our time goes for free.]

I think this would thin out the number figure for 'profitable' brewers quite a bit. Personally, I spent enough money at the bottom of the learning curve to mean I've now got to learn really quickly to become profitable. Luckily, I found this terrific forum and I'm refining my methods quickly, with all your advice. But I'm not pinning my hopes on it being genuinely 'profitable' just yet - as long as I enjoy it, I'll keep at it! :hat:

 

[Hawks]

as long as I enjoy it, I'll keep at it! :hat:

I think that's the main thing - most of us do it because we enjoy it.. I tend not to even think about how much I have spent / am spending, there is always 'another tweak' to consider - I have a PID and SSR sat on the side in the brewery now for example

 

[Dave1970]

I think I've spent more than I've saved at the moment BUT that's because I got 5 Corny Kegs. This was never my original plan but then I got 3 from a guy on here for £15 each, then a few months back when it became obvious the supply was dwindling and the price going up I got 2 more from Germany. So I've not brewed enough yet to cover my costs, but then again my 5 Cornies that cost about £150 are probably worth double that at current prices....performing better than most investments!
As others have said cost saving is not my main motivation, although it does help!

 

[Brewbob]

You'd have to write down a loss for anything from the outset that wasn't as good as commercial beer (or better!) and cost sanitiser, electricity, gas and water, books, any brewhouse DIY, fuel to the shops, postage, etc etc - basically anything that you could sneak onto your tax form if it was your business - and that doesn't put any figure on your time. [We assume we love doing it so our time goes for free.]

I totted up everything I've bought to date, I've not factored in time nor utilities as the amounts I am making I probably use more time and energy making a roast dinner. My beer isn't commercial quality, but thats not why I'm doing it. I agree I am doing it because its an enjoyable hobby that reaps rewards, as with all hobbies you get to join a community of like-minded folk with whom you can share ideas and information.

I was just interested in what I have spent to date on my kit, as it is a new hobby and there is always something to buy it seems, I said to the lady in my LHBS, I hope this starts paying off soon. According to my sums it is, had I bought 200 x 500ml bottles from the (not-so) supermarket, even if I just got the beer on offer @ 3 for a £5 it would have cost me £333, or @ £2 a bottle £400, and thats not factoring fuel :)

The only downside I can see is if you make a duff beer (as I just have, due to a PB that leaked all its gas) then you're either stuck with it, or you chuck it and write that off. But I think on the whole it is a worthwhile and enjoyable hobby. :hat:

PS - isn't Duff what Homer Simpson drinks, before y'all get in there!!!

 

[jamesbont]

where is the best/cheapest place to buy ingredients for AG?

 

[graysalchemy]

where is the best/cheapest place to buy ingredients for AG?

One of our forum sponsors but The malt Miller seems to be most peoples favourite ag supplier. Goiod prices and excellent service. :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

where is the best/cheapest place to buy ingredients for AG?

One of our forum sponsors but The malt Miller seems to be most peoples favourite ag supplier. Goiod prices and excellent service. :thumb:

I emailed him late last night and still got an immediate reply! The malt extract also has a production date, he tells me, which is encouraging, and prices look good.

 

[zgoda]

I can brew cheap, I can brew expensive. It's up to me if I want to pay for overpriced Weyermann stuff or go cheap with local malts. Still, the most expensive thing in my brewing is liquid yeast, that's £10 per package. While 2 years ago we had nice supply of Zymoferm yeast, the company apparently went out of business and we are limited to American products at premium price.

But if I stick with dry yeast my pint is usually £0.20, about a 1/4 of the price of good beer from supermarket (and 1/2 price of crap one).

 

[marksa222]

I've spent about £100 and made about 75 pints (short brewed second kit) I hope to reduce this cost in the near future but want to move on to AG. It's just affording all the gear. I'm just keeping an eye on ebay and hoping stuff will come up.

 

[Aleman]

Spent thousands over the years, have I recouped my investment?





Not by a long way! !! But the enjoyment I have had along the way is well worth it

 

[calumscott]

I wonder how many homebrewers would really be 'saving' money (per pint) if an accountant were doing the books! (minus the accountant's fees!)

I've done the sums...

Total expenditure: £1,117.19 (ish)
Total number of bottles of beer/wine/cider/etc: 1,247

Price per bottle: 90p

A third of the price and 333 times the fun of going to the supermarket!! Remind me again why... nah don't bother, I'm off to pour another! :

(Admins, can we have a *kerching!* smiley for each and every brewday?)