Edit: so it turns out that every hobby can be expensive if you do it long enough.
Also I love how you talk about your hobby as some addicts.
Edit: so it turns out that every hobby can be expensive if you do it long enough.
Also I love how you talk about your hobby as some addicts.
See if there’s a homebrew club in your area that runs bulk buys, you can drop your per-batch price by a fair amount with buying ingredients in bulk. Un-milled grains last a long time if stored properly, hops can be stored in the freezer and I’ve used them up to a year after opening without a significant drop in quality. Same goes for yeast if you get dry. I have a 500g bag of US-04 that is over a year old and still ferments just fine, I transferred it to a mason jar and keep it in the coldest part of my fridge. I was able to drop my per-batch cost to around $20 CAD or less for most beers that I brew, and having the ingredients on-hand means I can brew whenever I feel like it.
$20 CAD for a brew!!! That’s really impressive and an amazing value. We do have a great local homebrew scene here and our local suppliers offer pretty good value for equipment and supplies. I probably could get similar costs as well. Unfortunately like the OP in the thread I don’t have the kind of space for bulk grain and milling machines or other bulk storage. Being in an apartment has it’s limits and Ive pretty much hit them. I’m satisfied with my cost efficiency even knowing it could be better under different circumstances.
Cool to hear that you have great cost efficiency! That’s awesome to see. Thanks for sharing!