What's ya cost saver?

[Joust]

I was talking to a couple of old boys about brewing recently. They were banging on about their cost saving tips.

One said they reuse their spent dry hopping hops in the next boil. Which sounds a bit mad to me.

And the other said they get about 10 uses out of their sanitiser mix. I'm not organised enough to sanitise everything I need for brew day in one go.

Yeast is probably the one I reuse the most. I intend to only buy each type once.

 

[Oneflewover]

I guess that I minimise wastage (I hate waste) by planning several brews ahead and buying in bulk / buying exactly what I need. Yes, reusing yeast, but mostly for convenience over cost. Also I guess looking after and cleaning kit properly so that it lasts.

Sorry, I know it's a dull response, but I guess I resist cutting corners that might compromise the end product.

Ooh, I made my own stir plate (although I see I may have wasted my time there )

 

[Surfingobo]

Reusing yeast. I’ve also never bought a new bottle. Have about 100 swing tops bought from Facebook for £10 and various commercial bottles (only the ones that the label will soak off!)

 

[The Baron]

I think most brewers do not re-use things to necessarily save money it is a nice bi-product of seeing that things like yeast re-use works. I do use my starsan several times but that is because I have read that's how it should be used. I would not generally use my dry hops in the next brew although it is a very interesting idea but it would mess with my IBU calculations probably and that means less control but maybe I would try it in a use up brew etc but again not to save money.
I am a big believer in not wasting things as it goes to landfill or wasting vast amounts of water (the earths resources) and that is part of the reason I do No-Chill (it also saves me time as I can split my brew to times outside family time)
P.s I am not a Green Party person just do not believe in waste for waste sake

 

[Brewnaldo]

I save up orders and get two or 3 batches of grain at a time from GEB to save delivery, but that's about as clever as I get.

Although...... My main heat source was stolen from a previous workplace so that saved a few quid

 

[Leon103]

I always re-use my hops, at least 5 times.

 

[dalecek]

I don't waste any water on chilling. First hot water coming out of coil is used for cleaning. Rest is stored in 5L bottles, filtered and used in the next brew.

 

[Cwrw666]

Presumably dry hopped hops have only lost their flavour/aroma so still have all their alpha acids for bittering. As I've never dry hopped and never intend to it's not something I'm able to try.

Re-using yeast is probably the most effective cost cutter after bulk buying.
Growing your own hops can be effective.
Re-using crown caps is for the real tight wads (like me!)

 

[Obadiah Boondoggle]

Collaboration with other home brewers

A few of us run a buying consortium for malt, grouping our orders saves us significant amounts on the costs, for an example see below. Others, who live too far away from us to collect, could do the same, and we would be happy to share our contacts

Locally seven of us collaborate to buy speciality malts at bulk cost. We each have put a small amount of money into a "kitty" and so we now own between us 12 different speciality malts that we call off in small amounts at a much reduced cost

The same seven also collaborate when buying from an online shop. This means that our orders are always above the level needed for free delivery. Saving us all postage

Also, if we realise at the last minute we are short of an ingredient or piece of equipment we loan to each other

 

[Joust]

I always re-use my hops, at least 5 times.

Dry hopping or boil?

 

[Leon103]

Dry hopping or boil?

All of them.

 

[samale]

Your DIPA will score well with its 5th generation hops

 

[Tanglefoot]

Recently have done my first partial mash BIAB and just got my Malt Miller order for an all grain brew.

Looking forward to using unprocessed ingredients, no more rinsing the last of the LME out of a tin,no more bags of dextrose.

Less waste,better taste - a couple of good reasons to drop kits and try all grain brewing, just wish I'd done it sooner.

 

[Zephyr259]

I bulk buy my malts and maintain my yeast in overbuilt starters. I'll also use my sanitiser until it starts to look a bit grubby.

 

[KHS]

I thought hops were one time use only.
I buy kits, are we saying that the fairly solid mash that the hops turn into after 5 days in the FV can be reused?

 

[Brewnaldo]

Hop reuse is surely a wind up!?

 

[JFB]

I brew short and shoddy(30 minute boil).
Reuse yeast, no new starters just jars of trub.
And luckily not a hop head so less than 100g is normal.
Have a lovely ESK hop plant

 

[Manners]

I reuse the beer. My urine is collected, filtered and then distilled. Waste products sold to a local scientist. The resultant water then added back to my kits. Only a slight tang.... Would never reuse hops though- how ridiculous!

 

[chillipickle]

My best cost saving is, I’m not recycling fewer bottles or plastic bottles.

 

[Neil Whittaker]

I purge my kegs with the co2 produced by the fermentation process. Made my own Candi sugar, which replaced a shed load of malt in a imperial stout. Never share my beer, just joking.