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Author Topic: I just don't brew that much  (Read 4924 times)

Offline erockrph

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Re: I just don't brew that much
« Reply #60 on: May 17, 2020, 06:21:07 am »
Is it because it is and has been that cheap since you started brewing?

I would suspect in part that and our lower beer/booze prices. But for me, it's also been the idea of comparing my cost to other hobbies I've been involved in - other than weightlifting, there hasn't been a single hobby I've been involved in that's been as cheap (unless you count the medical expenses from ripping my left shoulder apart multiple times)

Homebrewing or weightlifting? Those sacks of grain get to you.

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!).
The difference between hobbies and jobs is that the value of time is reversed. In other words, in a job you get paid for use of your time - it's of value to someone else. In a hobby, the time itself is your reward - it's of direct value to yourself. I say this because I always hear people talk about the value of their time when trying to determine the cost of their hobbies, but they forget to flip the sign on the dollar value. Time spent enjoying your hobby isn't a sunk cost, it's a return on investment, and you should price it out as a cost savings.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline BrewBama

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Re: I just don't brew that much
« Reply #61 on: May 17, 2020, 08:16:58 am »
Well said


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Offline fredthecat

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Re: I just don't brew that much
« Reply #62 on: May 17, 2020, 09:08:57 pm »

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.

Offline fredthecat

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Re: I just don't brew that much
« Reply #63 on: May 17, 2020, 09:13:20 pm »


The difference between hobbies and jobs is that the value of time is reversed. In other words, in a job you get paid for use of your time - it's of value to someone else. In a hobby, the time itself is your reward - it's of direct value to yourself. I say this because I always hear people talk about the value of their time when trying to determine the cost of their hobbies, but they forget to flip the sign on the dollar value. Time spent enjoying your hobby isn't a sunk cost, it's a return on investment, and you should price it out as a cost savings.

That is your definition of a hobby, and job is definitely not some opposite of "hobby". If you want to look at it that way, then sure brewing is a chore, just like my vegetable garden is. I do it for a purpose, like people did in the early 20th century, before this current age of decadence. I want rightly priced and made beer, so I make it.