On the cost, I generally don't think about it, but it's fun to think about. It's a hobby, I don't include my time, and I generally don't worry about it. It is fun to think about (especially when people talk about $100/gallons of beer!).
yes, to clarify.
i'm not aiming to make the cheapest beer or alcohol. and i didn't start out that way.
i wouldn't even discount a $100 gallon of beer, if I really wanted a highly celebratory brew, and a comparable commercial beer cost $200 per gallon, then that would show a great cost savings.
People keep replying to this thread, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but again, I think people are not being truthful by repeating this "I don't care
at all about cost".
It is impossible for you to "not notice" price, when hop prices dropped drastically after homebrewing became popular, i was MUCH more interested in buying larger amounts of hops. If you claim to be looking at every variable to improve (relative quality btw) your brew, you couldn't not consider cost. Do you order your dream malts and hops from small belgian maltsters and fedex speed deliver hallertau hops?
Just brewed a 4.5% bitter yesterday, final breakdown of all ingredients including bottlecaps was CAD $1.12 per 500ml.