I did some back-of-the-envelope calculations and have found that I'm currently running about $1.39 per 22-oz bomber in expendables (grain, hops, yeast, priming sugar, bottle caps and, for my first 4 batches, bottled spring water), and another $2.17 per bottle in capital goods (based on 7 batches at about 23 bottles per batch). I guess $3.56 isn't too horrible a price for a bomber of halfway decent beer.
I have already started purchasing my hops in bulk which, along with using tap water, is bringing my cost per bottle in ingredients down to $1.01, assuming I continue to make beer with the same average hop content. Plus, if I continue on-pace at 2 batches per month, after a year I'll have capital down to $0.63 per bottle; which means $1.64 for a bomber of beer. That *is* a price with which I can deal.
If I end up getting a kegging system, I worked out that if I average total capital costs (including kegs and small fridge) over the first year, I can have draught homebrew at $2 per pint. After the first year, I'll only be paying for ingredients, meaning $0.73 pints at home, which is probably about the price per pint of a keg of PBR.
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My brother has 5 5-gallon jugs that he takes to a store with one of those filtered-water fillers, it's really cheap that way, like 25 cents a gallon. Tap water has yucky things in it.
ReplyDeleteMost of those yucky things are volatile and boil off. I'll taste these last few brews and see how much of a difference using tap water has made and, if it's noticeable in a bad way, then I'll find a better bottled solution.
ReplyDeleteNice cost study you got going. I'm going to eventually start kegging also. Just want to perfect my batches first. Maybe next Fall / winter I'll make the investment and start kegging. Please check out my home beer brewing blogger:
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