Beery said:
I am not brewing beer because I cannot afford to buy it, but nevertheless I always figured the ingredients for a 5 gallon batch should cost considerably less than buying the equivalent amount of beer at the grocery store. I recently switched from extract to all grain which really is an ingredients savings, but still, at my local home brew store hops are 2.50 - 3.50 and ounce, so a big IPA hops bill could easily be 25 - 30 bucks alone. Yeast is 7.75 or so a pack, and they stock almost no dry yeast which I actually prefer. Base malt at 1.60.... is this what you all are used to paying? What do you do to save a few bucks on ingredients? Online I see hops by the pound at a considerable savings. Does it store well?
Thoughts about ingredient costs and ways to save?
Brewing, for me, was never about saving money, but more a reason for my buddies & I to get together since everyone is so busy. We smoke food, have a tasting, and enjoy the day. With that said, some ways to save $$:
- Buy in bulk. Grain, hops, etc. etc. -- you'll find that while the savings could be minimal, over time if you tracked it, they lead to huge savings.
- I'm all about supporting local business. With that said, some prices I can't justify, so I do a lot of ordering online; mainly at MoreBeer as their pricing is not only competitive, in many situations they beat out suppliers like Yakima Valley. In addition, you can get free "MoreSaver" shipping with any order $50+. If you plan in advance correctly, you could order ingredients for two beers, get free shipping, and competitive pricing.
- Look for alternative, "works just as well" cleaners, santizers, etc. For example, I watched a video on YouTube that compares cleaning agents PBW, Oxy Clean, & Sodium Percarbonate. Kosher Sodium Percarbonate is $13 for a 5lb package, whereas PBW is $25 for 4lbs & Oxyclean slightly cheaper than Sodium. For the $, Sodium Percarbonate is the way to go (according to the video.)
Just some ideas. Cheers!