Why Do You Do Home Brew?

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

hey guys many of you may not know me yet but I am just embarking on this new challenging journey and right at the starting blocks. I have purchased 'How To Brew' book considered the bible around these parts. I am looking at seriously jumping in the deep end with both feet. I think I am going to start with a BIAB concept as this looks do-able. I have know other idea on how any other process in done anyway, so to my current knowledge the BIAB idea is the only way I have even looked at, and wanting to brew my own beer from All-Grain. I am learning a lot everyday, and it is starting to sink in. back to my opening question...Why do you home brew? Is it a cost saver a hobby or something else? I can tell you for me I am wanting, like many, many others start my own Micro-Brewery or work in one for more experience first and thought I'd start buy doing it myself first. a dream for many and with no current experience I have a long way to go but am driven. please enlighten me to why you do what you do?

Cheers

Daza. 

[Nathan]

No aspirations to brew for a job......I did start because I got sick of drinking shit beer and paying crazy money for good beer....Its taken me awhile to get there but I reckon I'm about par with the good beer you buy these days, Plus I can brew what ever I like, And its a great hobby hence the no desire to do it for a job

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

hi nathan good response, I can see how it can become an obsession for some and are really passion ate about this hobby, your right crazy money I currently spend on a doz bottles around $24 to $25 for a good beer. And always proclaimed that life  is too short to drink shit beer! how long you been brewing? I am wanting to start on BIAB. Just getting some gear together at the moment for that. 

[Nathan]

Been about 3 years now did kit and kilo for a few years with some added hops etc was making decent beer but still lacked control over what I was making so switched to BIAB and to be honest could have easily stayed there but as you know the sickness takes over.......Last count our house has 7 fridges/freezers, I'm a huge fan of temp control and I'm about a hairs whisker away from a complete electric semi auto setup

My very second BIAB to this day I rate as one of my best so you dont need all the fancy stuff, Hell I didnt even have a wort cooler I did the whole no-chill cube thing

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Still a wort chiller seems like a necessary evil and think it is the way to go, not talking from experience but rather from all the videos and blogs etc...

[Nathan]

I would disagree there.......I got by without one for awhile you just have to adjust your hop additions to suit.....But in saying that with one I have more control over the finished product and no guess work

[Cain Harland]

Its a hobby/obsession for me, I have no plans or aspirations to go pro although I would consider it if I find my self in need of a career change. I inherited a 50L fermenter and old fridge fermentation chamber from my grandad but wasn't satisfied with kit beer so took the step to all grain.

The cost saving thing is funny. With kit brewing, investment in gear is so low and the time is so minimal your clearly winning. I often think you couldn't justify all grain brewing on purely economic grounds if you put any real value on your time and factored in the cost of equipment but then other times I go to the super market and buy a couple of nice craft beers at $10 per 500ml and I'm very happy I have a fridge full of home brew. If you consider the gear a sunk cost (or spread it across many years of brewing) and the time free because it something you enjoy and do in your free time then your winning, my last brew worked out at about $1 per 500ml in ingredients and consumables.

I do it because I enjoy doing it and get a lot of satisfaction and pride from drinking a great beer that I have produced my self. I've had a few duds which is a bit dis heartening (tipping something you spent 5 hours brewing, 3 weeks fermenting 1 hour bottling and another 3 weeks conditioning down the drain sure makes you wonder if its worth while) but the good ones are every bit as good as most of those flash $10 craft beers and when your drinking one of those its defiantly worth the effort.

[Cain Harland]

Building\planning\acquiring gear has mostly taken over from brewing this year as my hobby but soon that will be over and I will have a 3 tap, 4 keg kegerator and all stainless 3 vessel rig (still no stand for it and no plans for one in the near future) so will have to get to some serious brewing to justify it. Building my own gear is possibly even more satisfying than brewing my own beer.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

So you think it is more beneficial to build your own gear, rather than buy it already made up? Like the brew pot with a ball valve sight gauge and thermometer built in?

[Cain Harland]

I wouldn't say beneficial. If someone is selling what you want at price that's comparable to what you can make it for then buy it and some stuff you cant make your self or the bought one is better. I'm saying I enjoy making stuff and using stuff I have made.

There are some good savings to be made too, you mentioned a "brew pot with a ball valve sight gauge and thermometer built in" brew shop have one for $349 and that's a pretty good price, a Blichmann BoilerMaker is $500 so I'll run down the cost or building a keggle.

50L keg $30 (scrap yard)
cheap angle grinder $30 super cheap auto (obviously if you have one you don't need another)
step bit to cut holes $10
2x stainless steel cutting disks $8
pop rivits and washers used to turn bit cut out of keg top back into a lid $10 (over estimate)
Total: $88

Weldless Bi-metal Thermometer Kit 3"Face & 4"Probe US $15.00
Weldless Sight Gauge - 16" US $23.50
Stainless Steel Weldless Kettle Valve Kit  $14.50  
Standard pickup - 3/8" O.D.  US $7.80 / piece
Subtotal: US $60.80
Shipping: US $19.97
Total: US $80
Thats Nz $112

So grand total of $200 for a 50L kettle with the same accessories and that's assuming $40 for tools which you only have to buy if you don't already have them. I am assuming you have or have access to a drill and pop riveter. It would work out about the same if you bought a cheap Chinese pot and no grinder (a keg is much thicker steel than a cheap pot which some of us like). If you wanted to save a few bucks you could leave the thermometer and sight glass off (maybe add later) and just use a glass thermometer and put a mark on your mash paddle to show where target volume would be if the end of the paddle was on the bottom of the pot. But we are comparing apples to apples here. So that's a tad over 1/2 the price of a cheap one. You could buy a magnetic drive pump or brew 80L of good beer with the $150 you saved.

A problem I have with these pre made kettles and mash tuns is they don't have an inlet. Especially on the kettle you really want one for whirlpool. It would be easy enough to add a $16 weldless one but it kind of defeats the purpose of  buying an expensive pot with welded fittings.

Having said all that only take on a project like that if your going to enjoy it and be able to finish it. DIY isn't for everyone and I'm sure some of us would rather pay a few extra bucks and have someone else do the work and not risk messing up and wasting the money they were trying to save.

[Cain Harland]

Dazza I'm not really suggesting you build a keggle at this stage. Until you have done a few brews and decided if you like it, you probably want to spend as little as possible so I would say the best thing is to get a cheap pot and maybe put one valve in the bottom. Forget about the thermometer, sight glass, inlet etc for now.

If like me you decide to upgrade to a 3 vessel system later on, add a thermometer and use that pot as either your HLT or mash tun. Then look at the DIY vs ready made options for your other 2 vessels you will have a much better idea about what you want.

I chose to use my original pot as mash tun because the lid forms more of a seal than the keggle lids so I put in a false bottom and am gluing a yoga mat to it for insulation, I might also wrap it in wood like a barrel. I am using kegs for the other 2, still waiting on stuff to arrive from china to finish those. As I mentioned the kegs are good thick steel which is good when you use gas, they are much thicker than cheap pots and much cheaper than thick pots.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Hi thanks for that info that has helped me, I think your right keep it simple at first. Cheers.

[Crusader-Rob]

this is why..... hahaha