Home Brewing Saves You Money
- By Randall Stevens
- Published 12/31/2008
- Wine and Spirits
- Unrated
One of the overlooked benefits of brewing your own beer at home is the cost savings. Anyone who makes their weekly (daily?) pilgrimage to the grocery store knows those twelve packs can really add up. By brewing your own beer at home, it is not uncommon to save fifty, sixty even seventy percent on the cost.
The majority of costs in home brewing will be for equipment and the ingredients to make each batch. The good news is that your equipment should last for quite a while and over time should pay for itself many times over. You can either purchase this equipment piece by piece or simply order one of the many home brewing kits that are available from vendors.
It is good practice to learn a bit about making beer at home before investing much time or money searching for equipment and supplies. Different types of beer will need different types of malt, grain, barley and hops. Addtionally, you'll want to have an idea of how much beer you want to make. If you plan to brew in high volume over a period of time, buying bulk can save you even more.
To take your home brewing one more step, you will need supplies for the bottling process, namely, bottles and caps. Most bottles are sold by the case and are fairly inexpensive. One thing you want to be sure and do is to sterilize them before use. Bacteria can spoil your beer so you want to make sure your bottles are as clean as possible.
Patience is required in homebrewing.
The whole brewing process can take from two weeks to several months or even years, depending on the style of beer. Some enthusiasts brew beer in far larger quantities than the typical 5-gallon batch, sometimes as a prelude to commercial production. It is not unusual for a homebrewer to have several batches in different stages of completion to permit the dispensing of quality homebrew at short notice. These batches can often be used for consumption, gifts or even candidates in brewing competitions - a favorite past time of the serious home brewer.
Another big benefit of home made beer is that it is not pasteurized. Pasteurization requires the beer to be cooked, which results in the disappearance of natural carbonation. Commercial brewers collect the boiled off alcohol, mix it with the pasteurized beer and force carbonate the beer. The disadvantage of this is that all of the yeast is killed in the process. Therefore, the beer tastes considerably different from beer containing live yeast. Moreover, the beer will not age properly without live yeast.
Homebrew is almost never pasteurized, therefore the carbonation present is naturally produced by the yeast, the taste is a more natural flavor, and the beer will age, changing in taste, texture and color over time.
Home brew has been a staple and a widely used practice in bad economic times for centuries in the United States and abroad. If you find your wallet is a bit thinner but you can't do without your favority beer, consider brewing a batch or two at home. You just might find the savings worth it.
The majority of costs in home brewing will be for equipment and the ingredients to make each batch. The good news is that your equipment should last for quite a while and over time should pay for itself many times over. You can either purchase this equipment piece by piece or simply order one of the many home brewing kits that are available from vendors.
It is good practice to learn a bit about making beer at home before investing much time or money searching for equipment and supplies. Different types of beer will need different types of malt, grain, barley and hops. Addtionally, you'll want to have an idea of how much beer you want to make. If you plan to brew in high volume over a period of time, buying bulk can save you even more.
To take your home brewing one more step, you will need supplies for the bottling process, namely, bottles and caps. Most bottles are sold by the case and are fairly inexpensive. One thing you want to be sure and do is to sterilize them before use. Bacteria can spoil your beer so you want to make sure your bottles are as clean as possible.
Patience is required in homebrewing.
Another big benefit of home made beer is that it is not pasteurized. Pasteurization requires the beer to be cooked, which results in the disappearance of natural carbonation. Commercial brewers collect the boiled off alcohol, mix it with the pasteurized beer and force carbonate the beer. The disadvantage of this is that all of the yeast is killed in the process. Therefore, the beer tastes considerably different from beer containing live yeast. Moreover, the beer will not age properly without live yeast.
Homebrew is almost never pasteurized, therefore the carbonation present is naturally produced by the yeast, the taste is a more natural flavor, and the beer will age, changing in taste, texture and color over time.
Home brew has been a staple and a widely used practice in bad economic times for centuries in the United States and abroad. If you find your wallet is a bit thinner but you can't do without your favority beer, consider brewing a batch or two at home. You just might find the savings worth it.
Randall Stevens
The Beer Crafter is dedicated to bringing the art of home brewing to people world wide. Visit us for tips, tricks and strategies for brewing perfect home made beer.
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