Elecricity costs

[Daz1737]

Hello, I'm about to move up to all grain brewing from kits. How much does the electricity for the mashing etc. cost? Thanks

[Nashbrew]

Here is a simple calculator to use:
https://www.sust-it.net/energy-calculator.php

[Cobnut]

I posted this on another forum recently:

Raising 20L of water from ground temperature to mash temperature will use a little over 1kWh of electricity - assuming perfect insulation - so probably safe to assume 1.5kWh. So around 40p based on current prices.

Boiling is probably a little harder to estimate. My GF30 has 3kW heater and is probably running at that for an hour, so that's 3kWh for an hour boil plus - say - 30 mins to bring 30L to the boil from mash/sparge temperature (1.5kWh).

Not forgetting sparge water heating (c.15L from ground temp to 75C) which amounts to a further 1kWh.

So a complete brew "costs" about 7kWh @ 28p/kWh = £1.96

Reducing to a 30 min boil would save an estimated 1.5kWh or about 40p.

My most recent boil enjoyed a 2 hour boil (an extra 3kWh or 84p).

[MashBag]

Which if you price against the beer you make.. Mine comes in at 20 - 30 pence per bottle instead of £1.99. Not an issue for me. And tastes a million times better.

[Cobnut]

Aw Mashbag you're taking us back down the wormhole of "how much does it cost to make your homebrew"...

It really depends on the beer!

Simple, low gravity english bitter or mild with re-used yeast is going to be <20p per bottle for me, but I made a black IPA with a sh*t-ton of New World hops which came out at 85p a bottle in ingredients costs.

None of this includes neither water (negligible!) nor electricity (could be up to 10p per Litre). And certainly not my time! If you worked on the basis of merely minimum wage, it's got to be at least a day's work all told (preparation, brew day, bottling, cleaning, etc.) - so that's £76 per brew or near enough the £1.99 a bottle that you'd pay in the supermarket!

So for me the message is "Enjoy making delicious beer for you to drink and share with friends and family. Don't overly stress over what it costs, but find ways to minimise what you spend. i.e. Buy grain in reasonable bulk, re-use yeast if you can, etc."

[MarkA]

It's so hard to estimate as it depends on a lot of variables. Also, if you use a heater/cooler for fermentation/priming/serving, the cost goes up. The heating of cleaning/rinsing water is another factor......

Step up to all grain, make better beer for less than you can buy it for, have fun, enjoy the hobby, and work out the costs at a later time if you still feel the need!

[Cobnut]

Step up to all grain, make better beer for less than you can buy it for, have fun, enjoy the hobby, and work out the costs at a later time if you still feel the need!

I agree with the sentiment about enjoying it, but I'm pretty sure if I factor in the cost of all the gear I've bougt over the past few years, I'd probably still be better off buying beer...even the expensive stuff from the local bottle shop!

- fully fitted out shed
- GF30 (£550)
- Corny kegs
- Regulators
- More than one fermenter
- a few fridges
- inkbirds x a few
- loads of other odds & sods (which I keep buying!)

All told, I know I've spent over £7k, not including ingredients, power, water, my time...probably more.

I probably make 4-500L of beer per year and have done for the past 5 years or so. Most of the gear I've bought will last many more years, so I can amortise the cost over 10 years plus, but that is still more than £1/L of extra cost

But it's (one of) my hobby(ies)! And probably works out cheaper than membership of a golf club or a season ticket to a major (association) football team.

[MarkA]

I agree with the sentiment about enjoying it, but I'm pretty sure if I factor in the cost of all the gear I've bougt over the past few years, I'd probably still be better off buying beer...even the expensive stuff from the local bottle shop!

Fair point, Cobnut! Though the smug satisfaction of drinking my own beer overrides (or makes me forget) the finer (scary) details!

[Jocky]

My most expensive beer was a Triple IPA that came in at a starting gravity of 1.106 and finished at 11.5% ABV.

Pricing it up for a re brew today:
9kg grain - £16
1kg dextrose - £3.79
200g Simcoe, 200g Columbus, 100g Centennial - £29
Wyeast 1056 - 1 packet, but was used across 2 beers - £4.50
Electricity - about £3
Sundries (cleaner, sanitiser, finings, CO2) - £2

Total = £58 and it made 16 litres in the keg (lots of losses to hops), so about £1.81 per 500ml.

Now while that is very expensive for home brew, bear in mind that the nearest commercial thing I can currently find on sale costs £10 per 500ml can, and I felt that this beer stood up very well to every commercial version I've had. If I had storage space I'd shop around a bit more to get the ingredients cheaper too.

On the other side I've just made a Light Lager that cost about £13 in ingredients and has filled a 19 litre keg, so 34p per 500ml.

[f00b4r]

My most expensive beer was a Triple IPA that came in at a starting gravity of 1.106 and finished at 11.5% ABV.

Pricing it up for a re brew today:
9kg grain - £16
1kg dextrose - £3.79
200g Simcoe, 200g Columbus, 100g Centennial - £29
Wyeast 1056 - 1 packet, but was used across 2 beers - £4.50
Electricity - about £3
Sundries (cleaner, sanitiser, finings, CO2) - £2

Total = £58 and it made 16 litres in the keg (lots of losses to hops), so about £1.81 per 500ml.

Now while that is very expensive for home brew, bear in mind that the nearest commercial thing I can currently find on sale costs £10 per 500ml can, and I felt that this beer stood up very well to every commercial version I've had. If I had storage space I'd shop around a bit more to get the ingredients cheaper too.

On the other side I've just made a Light Lager that cost about £13 in ingredients and has filled a 19 litre keg, so 34p per 500ml.

You want to be confident of your process and recipe when making a beer like that.

[MashBag]

Step up to all grain, make better beer for less than you can buy it for, have fun, enjoy the hobby, and work out the costs at a later time if you still feel the need!

A agree with that whole heartedly.... And the smug satisfaction of drinking my own beer.
Spot on Mark

[Jocky]

You want to be confident of your process and recipe when making a beer like that.

I brewed it on my birthday, so it was a present to myself.

Like others have said on here, however it came out it was fun to try and I learned a lot in making it.

It also came out beautifully.

[Daz1737]

Thanks for your replies. The cost is far lower than I expected.

[Jim]

Apart from the initial phase when I was a lad, I always thought of any cost savings as a bonus. I mean, you usually expect hobbies to cost money.

[Jocky]

Some do it to make the absolute best beer they can.

Sadly, not always, but it's fun trying, sharing, discussing and arguing about it. My Wife reckons I've got it down to £80 a pint now. She's a card.