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Home Brewing vs the Big Boys
I'm just learning about all of this "Home Brewing", and was wondering a couple of things. First, is the quality of what is brewed actually better, then what the "Big Boys" make? Just from the pictures on your site, the brews actually do look more appetizing, so there is a plus for me already. Second, is Home Brewing actually cost effective, compared to store bought?
Not trying to come down on Home Brewing, just trying to understand.....
I would say that home brewing is definitely cost effective, with a pint of home brewed ale costing far less than its equivalent in a pub.
The downside is that you may actually end up drinking more! And also for a lot of people, drinking is about going out, not staying in.
As for the quality - yes, I think that the quality of home brew is generally good, and it also depends on your skill as a brewer.
Thanks for thte info, it does help me understand more....... Now I just have to talk the wife into letting me give it a try.....
Does she like beer too?
I'm sure that when you explain the benefits of home brewing she will be keen to give it a try!
I agree it's definitely cost effective, and except for a couple of mystery batches, my results were good enough to serve friends.
All my brewing has been done at my place, although there are businesses in the area where you go in and use their equipment, but you do the work (so it still is you making the beer for legal reasons, I think).
I assume other areas have these places?
Craztel wrote:
I'm just learning about all of this "Home Brewing", and was wondering a couple of things. First, is the quality of what is brewed actually better, then what the "Big Boys" make? Just from the pictures on your site, the brews actually do look more appetizing, so there is a plus for me already. Second, is Home Brewing actually cost effective, compared to store bought?
Not trying to come down on Home Brewing, just trying to understand.....
I wanted to bump this message because I get asked this question often when I go out for a beer and people find out I brew.
First, YES microbrew (and definitely homebrew) is MILES better than that swill called Budweiser. Unless you are a horribly brewer and don't pay ANY attention to sanitization, you can't do that bad.
You will spend anywhere from a couple hours to most of a day brewing, depending on if you use a kit, extract, or all grain.
I honest to god have never met one person who prefers Bud, Miller, or Coors over a microbrew. In fact, I've given some of my homebrews to macrobrew drinkers and they were stunned they a homemade beer can be 10x better than Budweiser... or Buttweiser as I call it.
As for price, here are some examples and estimates, not including the cost of equipment:
$25 for a canned beer kit, everything you need, divide by 50 bottles (roughly) = 50 cents per beer
$16 for a 7# tub of extract, assuming 2 types of hops at $2.50 each = $5, and a liquid yeast smack pack for around $7 (dry yeast is cheaper but less variety) = $28 , divide by 50 bottles = 56 cents
Now with all grain, I'll use a simple 2 grain recipe, nothing fancy...
8# 2 row pale = $8, 1# crystal 40L = $1.25, 2 types again = $5, smack pack = $7, total = $21.25, divide by 50 bottles = 43 cents per bottle
None of these are cut and dry, different shops have different prices, and you can vary your costs by bulking hops in bulk and reusing yeast, but you get the idea.
I've made beer for as little as 35 cents and as high as 85 for a fruit beer. This is how the equipment pays for itself, and then some.
It depends on what you call cost effictive, if you buy Bud then you might be disapointed at the cost of a batch of homebrew if you buy real beer which can run as much as $10.00 a six pack then brewing your own is very cost worthy.
I can't imagine why anybody would want to brew Buttweiser. Brewing toilet water (Bud, Miller, Coors) can be done cheaper, but that completely defeats the purpose of homebrewing.
The cheapest sixer of microbrew I have ever found was about $5.50 on sale. Depending on where you live, how far the beer had to travel, and the batch size, a sixer can go up to $10. There is no beer I want THAT bad.
Even for a typical $7 six pack, you can still make it much cheaper.
While a microbrewery is buying their supplies is MASSIVE bulk and getting a better deal, they also have employees to pay, distribution, possibly rent, property taxes, bigger water bills, and so forth. All of that is passed on to the consumer.
Unless you are paying top dollar for supplies, or just want to brew a half gallon (why even bother), it is definitely more cost effective.
Well, let's just do the math ...
A five gallon batch costs me around 25 bucks to make. Since 5 gallons translates to about 53 bottles (at 12 ounces each), then that makes about 47 cents per bottle.
That sounds pretty cost-effective to me!
As quality goes, homebrew is THE WAY to go. You can make it just the way you like it.
HTH,
DaveSlash
First off, there is the fact that you get to design the beer exactly the way you want it & have it as fresh as possible! If you want to try a jalepeno-spiced IPA, you have the power to do that! Control and freedom over your beer are two very good reasons to homebrew.
Secondly, the cost: Initial set-up can be expensive, depending on how hog-wild you go. I personally bought my keg system before my own brewpot, so for me the getting started was the most pricey. However, once you can turn out tasty beer for a fraction of the cost, it becomes well worth it. I probably haven't paid off the cost of the keg system in savings yet, but I am still proud of my set-up & am the envy of my brewing buddies
Then there is just the appeal of making something with your own two hands. It sounds a bit cliched, but the satisfaction I get from sharing my latest brew with my friends & family is priceless. I could probably buy a better beer from the specialty shop, but it isn't the same. Not even close.
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