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[The Cost] First Beer I Ever Brewed – Amber Ale

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Here is the cost break down for the Amber Ale:

  • American Yeast Ale: $7.00
  • 7 lbs. Liquid Malt Extract (Amber): $13.65
  • Cascade Hops (Alpha 7.0): $5.00
  • Fuggle Hops (Alpha 4.5): $5.95
  • 1 lb. Crystal Malt Grain (80L): $1.30
  • 0.5 lb. Special Roast Malt Grain (50L): $0.50

Grand Total: $33.40.  Spent for 5 gallons of beer.  One gallon equals 128 ounces.  Times five equals 640 ounces.  Divided by 12 ounce bottles equals 54 bottles (rounded up).  $33.40 / 54 = $0.62 cost per beer.*

Do you keep track of how much your beer costs per bottle?

* This doesn’t take into account the cost of caps, sanitizer, Irish Moss and Gypsum.  These items raise the cost of the beer, but since I can use them for more than one batch I don’t count them.

Hobby Costs – Getting Started

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Empty Carboy

Empty Carboy

Like starting any new hobby, there are some costs involved.  My goal is to always keep my homebrew around the same price as a craft beer.  So I keep track of how much I spend on each batch (possible future blog posts…)  But here’s the break down of my first homebrew investment:

  • Starter kit: Free!  This I actually borrowed from a family friend.  He was traveling for a year and I reaped the benefits of him being gone.
  • Gypsum: $1.05. In case you were wondering, gypsum is used for adding hardness to water used while homebrewing.
  • Irish Moss: $1.55.  Irish Moss is used to help clarify homebrew.  This fining agent works by making the smaller molecules aggregate into larger particles so they settle out of the solution.
  • A-1 Sanitizer: $5.10.  Sanitization is key in homebrewing.
  • Hop bags: $2.60.  This makes it super easy to remove hops from the wort during the cooking process.
  • Clip Thermometer: $9.99.  Key for keeping track of wort temperatures.
  • 7 Gallon Pot: $49.99.  Super easy to make 5 gallons of beer in.

Initial Investment: $70.28.  Not that bad for getting a hobby off the ground.  I also took a free class at Above the Rest Homebrewing to make sure I had a good understanding of what exactly I was supposed to do.  Since I’m a visual learner that was key.

What’s your hobby?  Do you keep track of the costs?

Homebrew Exchange – Bite Size Honey Wheat

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A couple months ago my friend Lisa sent me a Living Social Deal to Homebrew Exchange.  Homebrew Exchange is a local Portland beer supply shop that I hadn’t been to yet and since you always need fresh ingredients to make beer I signed up right away.  I’ve been back twice and can honestly say it’s my new home brew supply shop.  Not only is it nearby but that staff there is super friendly and helpful.  Lisa and I went back to cash out our Living Social Deal and worked with AJ, the owner to create our own recipe.  Here it is: Bite Size Honey Wheat:

Ingredients:

  • 3.3 lb Wheat Liquid Malt Extract
  • 2 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
  • 12 oz Torrefied Wheat
  • 12 oz Crystal 12L Malt
  • 18 oz Honey
  • 1 oz Perle Hops
  • 1 oz Hallertau Hops
  • German Ale Yeast

Directions:

  1. Steep grains at 155*F for 30 minutes.
  2. Turn off heat and add malt extract.  Stir until dissolved.
  3. Turn heat back on and bring to boil.
  4. Boil for 60 minutes following hops schedule.
  5. Add honey.
  6. Cool wort to about 75*F.
  7. Pitch yeast.

Hops Schedule:

  • 1 oz Perle Hops (leaf, @60 min)
  • 0.5 oz Hallertau (pellet, @15 min)
  • 0.5 oz Hallertau (pellet, @1 min)

What do you love most about your homebrew shop?

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