[babalu87]

Ugh

4 kids milling around = FAIL POST

Craptastic equipment
Great Ingredients

or

Craptastic ingredients
Expensive equipment

[captnjohnny1618]

every three to four weeks you should be able to reuse your yeast fine.  just save the slurry and build up a new starter from it.  keep it in a small mason jar.

Any specific measures that need to be taken for sanitation? Also, how big is a "small" mason jar?

[captnjohnny1618]

I have no idea what a batch costs me...it's my hobby, so I really don't care.  I know it's cheaper than buying a bass boat! 

Believe me, I would take that attitude if I had a bit more money to throw around.  Right now, I have $30 in the bank and $15 in cash and I'm trying to decide whether or not I need to eat for the next two weeks...

I also just had a batch of brown ale go off the deep end (bacteria I'm pretty sure) and I REALLY don't want that to happen again.  I don't have any beer right now b/c of that loss!

[a10t2]

Any specific measures that need to be taken for sanitation? Also, how big is a "small" mason jar?

Nothing beyond what you're already doing. Also, at a month or less I wouldn't worry about making a starter either - since you're doing extract that'll save some money. With AG you can do propagations with your leftover wort: http://seanterrill.com/2010/03/23/yeast-ranching-and-you/ Check out the slurry tab on the MrMalty calculator for exact numbers, but you'll be using around 50-100 mL of slurry for most ales.

To actually answer the question, an average-gravity AG batch costs me about $15-20 for 5 gallons. Roughly a quarter of that is propane, which people always seem to forget about.

Right now, I have $30 in the bank and $15 in cash and I'm trying to decide whether or not I need to eat for the next two weeks...

Just brew, and kill two birds with one stone. It worked out pretty well for some monks I know...

[weithman5]

i have various jars.some are full quart size and some are half pint. you could even use your leftover jelly, peanut butter or even a beer bottle.  you dont need to go crazy but make sure it is at least washed with hot water and rinsed. i also save a little bit of my wort in the freezer to use as a starter for the next time if idont have enough slurry.

as far as propane, i have a natural gas grill off my house line.  i am trying to get a burner to come off that line.  still costs but i can blame the kids and long showers.

[MrNate]

My brewing costs are substantially less than $8/six pack and more than Budweiser. Beyond that, I couldn't tell you.

[captnjohnny1618]

Sounds like I need to move away from extract brewing to keep costs down a bit more...     As soon as I'm no longer confined to this dorm I'm going to be looking into all grain brewing (well, I'm already researching it, I just am not seriously considering acquiring anything in the near future...)

I think my costs are going to be about the same though whether I go with extract brewing or partial mash.  Seem like an accurate judgement?

[a10t2]

I think my costs are going to be about the same though whether I go with extract brewing or partial mash.  Seem like an accurate judgement?

I don't think so. Even in bulk, DME is going to run you about $3/lb. The equivalent amount of base malt would be less than half that. So moving half your gravity contribution from extract to malt would save around $5 a batch. Buying by the pound, the savings would be even higher.

[captnjohnny1618]

I don't think so. Even in bulk, DME is going to run you about $3/lb. The equivalent amount of base malt would be less than half that. So moving half your gravity contribution from extract to malt would save around $5 a batch. Buying by the pound, the savings would be even higher.

That's great news! I just printed off a huge PDF (40 pages) on converting all grain recipes to partial mash and how to brew partial mash.  I'll definitely look into that for an upcoming batch!  Thanks!

[kgs]

Another tip: periodically check Craigslist and Freecycle (if you have a Freecycle locally) for people unloading homebrew equipment. Sometimes people are scaling up, sometimes they have tried it and it wasn't their thing, but you can find some good buys or even freebies that way.

[euge]

I used to worry about the price of grain and hops. A lot. I can tell you everything has gone up a fair amount in the past three years. Ingredients are now bought in bulk at some savings. Trips to LHBS for things,,,$$ Now I don't worry about what it costs but it's economical- maybe $0.50-0.75 a beer? Seems like it should be cheaper, but I remember when it was much less not so long ago; I could get a sack of two-row for $45 but now it's $65+ so I pay extra for the Maris Otter.

It's not a cheap hobby but there are the benefits.

[mnstorm99]

With equipment figured in I would say I am doing just better than breaking even.  But, I average about $25 per batch with just ingredients, I do all grain and only buy my hops in bulk.. 

[yaleterrace]

My typical pale ale runs around 35 or 45 bucks (all grain) for 5 gal, but i just make a maple DIPA that weighed in at $125/9gal (at 9.5%ABV) so it really depends.  My next batch is a belgian gruit / robust porter blend, and I don't skimp on the herbs, so it'll probably wind up at around $200/ 17.5 gal. ($57/5 gal).

For me, the idea is not "how do I make a clone, but cheap?", I'm more of a "nobody but me makes this" kinda guy.  that's not to say you are shooting for what I'm doing, or vice-versa.

[euge]

For me, the idea is not "how do I make a clone, but cheap?", I'm more of a "nobody but me makes this" kinda guy.  that's not to say you are shooting for what I'm doing, or vice-versa.

++1

Yup. Constantly tweaking & experimenting with recipes. And they are uniquely mine. If I want a SNPA or Arrogant Bastard I'll buy one. Otherwise I might take- say a Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale ale and shoot for the same body and mouthfeel. I'll have a beer like that as inspiration and shoot for the things I admire and want reflected in my own brewing.

[mthogan1997]

Out of curiosity, I have scoured all my credit card bills and checks for the last 15 years (thanks quicken) and I have found that my equipment averages $3.52 per batch (CO2 is included and I've brewed 432 batches). Counting my equipment, ingredients, and propane, I am at about $25 per batch.  Far cheaper than I would have guessed .

Edit: I forgot about inflation, my $3.52 was "then year dollars" so it would probably be more like $6 or $7 in 2010 dollars.