The whole premise of this blog is economical brewing. I figured it was about time I wrote a blog about it. My process is largely influenced by an article I found at Homebrew Talk, but I made a few changes along the way.
My kitchen brewhouse for all-grain beers is very simple and uses a lot of items most of us already have. First off, you need a basic brewing starter kit. Most homebrew stores carry them for $70-$90. The kit should include a fermentation bucket, bottling bucket, siphon hose, hydrometer, fermentation lock and bottle caper. Some kits also contain bottle caps, a bottle brush, a racking tube and other goodies. You can buy bottles too, but you might as well save them from the beer you buy at the store. One word of caution: you can't use screw-top bottles for your beer.
The standard kitchen items are a large metal slotted spoon (your low budget Mash Paddle), mesh colander, kitchen timer, food scale and a digital or floating thermometer. If you don't have any of these items, you can probably pick them up for around $40 at the retailer of your choice. On top of those, you'll need two 16 quart or larger canning pots (around $20 each), a reusable Grain Bag big enough to fit inside your pots (about $5 at your local homebrew store). If your home or apartment doesn't have a stove, well......
Assuming you start with nothing, you can be up and brewing for around $175 dollars, give or take. If you already have the kitchen basics, it's closer to a $120 investment. That probably sounds like a significant sum. It is, until you factor in what you're not spending. In all of my recipes, there's a comparison of what my beer cost to brew vs the least expensive commercial equivalent I can easily find. On average, I'm saving $13-$16 per case. A five gallon batch makes roughly two cases of beer, so the total savings is $26-$32. In the worst case scenario, your setup pays for itself after seven batches. Not a bad deal, when you think about it.
Next up will be the first steps in kitchen brewing. Until then, it's time to go shopping.
The standard kitchen items are a large metal slotted spoon (your low budget Mash Paddle), mesh colander, kitchen timer, food scale and a digital or floating thermometer. If you don't have any of these items, you can probably pick them up for around $40 at the retailer of your choice. On top of those, you'll need two 16 quart or larger canning pots (around $20 each), a reusable Grain Bag big enough to fit inside your pots (about $5 at your local homebrew store). If your home or apartment doesn't have a stove, well......
Assuming you start with nothing, you can be up and brewing for around $175 dollars, give or take. If you already have the kitchen basics, it's closer to a $120 investment. That probably sounds like a significant sum. It is, until you factor in what you're not spending. In all of my recipes, there's a comparison of what my beer cost to brew vs the least expensive commercial equivalent I can easily find. On average, I'm saving $13-$16 per case. A five gallon batch makes roughly two cases of beer, so the total savings is $26-$32. In the worst case scenario, your setup pays for itself after seven batches. Not a bad deal, when you think about it.
Next up will be the first steps in kitchen brewing. Until then, it's time to go shopping.
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