Not cheaper than kits.

[delta9]

Is it really cheaper than kits to brew from scratch?

I just priced what I need to make 20+ Litres.

1.5kg Malt Extract - £10
2 oz Hops - £5
1lb sugar - £1
Yeast - £1

total, £20 +

yet the kits, coopers for example is only £9.99, all you need is sugar, so basically half the price.

???

who here can make 20 litres of excellent lager for £5? possible? (this excludes buying in bulk)

I thought perhaps getting the ingredients in pure form would be alot cheaper, how I was wrong, its double the amount !!!

[delta9]

Yeah, I get what you mean.

I just wanted to try an old recipe I found, which suggested Malt Extract to be used.

So what would be cheapest way to make 20 litres of decent lager?
Besides kits that is...I guess there isn't?

Cheers

[Parva]

You posted this in the all grain section which is a bit different to extract brewing. If you were prepared to read up and do some DIY you could go the whole hog and make beer much cheaper. Mine's costing me about 25p per pint. However, extract is miles better than kit if you didn't want to go the steep learning curve of all grain. Yes, it'll cost more but the results will be reward enough.

[delta9]

Thanks for all the advice/tips Parva and Chris

Do certainly want to get into proper brewing with grains etc But I'll stick to kits for the time being, get some practise in.

Might try that Coopers Pilsner next.

the recipe suggests 500g dme + 300g dextrose, that's about as cheap as you're going to get although i'd prefer to use 750g dme + 250g dextrose.

So your adding extra dried malt extract to the kit? Interesting... Do you just plunk it into the VF or boil it first??

If so, it will cost £10 for the kit + £7 for the extra dme, all in all with the dextrose it will cost me £20? So I may as well do it the extract way if thats the case???

Cheers for the help

[bikedoc]

Go on mate, take the plunge- go all grain - there's better beer to be had and 18 to 28p/pint is something like it , but the flavour difference will AMAZE you!
bikedoc
cornwall

[WishboneBrewery]

I've recently been thinking similar thoughts as to the expense of Extract versus kits...
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22938
I'm not complaining I'd just like the price of Malt Extract to be a bit cheaper

[daveylaa]

ON my 9th, enhanced Kit/Extract brew today.

Dave Lines San Miguel Clone. Total cost £9.88 for 2o Litres. about 5% ABV.

To me anyway, the extracts (DME) are clearer and only very svery lightly Kitty! in taste. Apart form the recipie below, I am sticking to extract, until I go AG after drinking the 170 pints I have left of modified kits and extract. So Monday then!!!!

My first brew was a Dave Lines San Miguel Clone, its almost as good as a full extract, and tasets really nice, the cheapest I have done so far, on my 4th, and will keep this as a qucikie I think. Here it is.

Youngs harvest larger kit £7.99. In 25ltrs boiler at 40 C.
12 Gram Hallaetu Hops at the boil. 60p ( from 100G bag at 4.99)
1kg Golden Syrup from Lidel after 3o mis of boil. £1.09.
Irish Moss 3 G for last 10 mis of boil 20p ( 1.99 for 30g)

Yeast is from the Youngs Kit, I rehydate for 15 in 25 c of 100ml water, then mix wait another 15 mins, add 100ml of 25c wort then pitch it in. No stuck ferments yet with this method since brew 001.

Total Boil 1.5 hours.
1 week to ferment to 1008 - 1010.
Racked into Budget Barrel.
1 week 2nd fermentation in airing cupboard.
Month in shed.

Total cost £9.88 and with the month in the shed, the 4 so far are nice, through my flash coooler.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

I just priced what I need to make 20+ Litres.

1.5kg Malt Extract - £10
2 oz Hops - £5
1lb sugar - £1
Yeast - £1

total, £20 +

A couple of minor points:

Firstly your list adds up to £17 not £20.

Secondly, 1.5KG LME can be bought for around £7.50 and 2oz of hops would be about £2.70. So the real cost would be more like £12.20.

yet the kits, coopers for example is only £9.99, all you need is sugar, so basically half the price.???

And 1/10th the quality too. Mind you any beer based based on 1.5KG malt extract and 1KG sugar is going to be rubbish regardless of the style or whether it's a kit or extract.

who here can make 20 litres of excellent lager for £5? possible? (this excludes buying in bulk)

Excellent lager is an oxymoron. You'd need to be buying in bulk and brewing at a commercial scale to get down to £5/20L.

I thought perhaps getting the ingredients in pure form would be alot cheaper, how I was wrong, its double the amount !!!

An extra £1.20 is not double the amount! Whilst extract brewing is a bit more expensive than the one-can kits (about the same cost as most 2-can kits), you get a much better product an the end than you can with any kit and for most of us that's more important than trying to brew something alcoholic for 15p a pint.

[tangoman]

I'd stick to Coopers Lager kit and make it as directed,can't go wrong if you can gas it up to 20psi comes out the same as pub stuff, and I've had quite a few mates round who are regular lager drinkers and nobody has ever faulted it..(infact I told them it was Carling!)...just goes to show...

[Waffty]

Brewing from kits is fine, if you like the resulting beer. If the beer you like (in my case Bathams, London Pride, Banks's Bitter etc etc) were available in kits, I doubt, I'd bother with extract or all grain.

Sadley they aren't so I've brewed my own versions from Extract, hops etc .... & yes, it is more expensive than kit brewing but having just downed my London Pride copy, I have to say, it's well worth it i.e I have 120 London Pride bottles, so I know what it should taste like, out of a bottle and believe me, mine isn't a million miles away & cheaper to boot & you know what, even if it wasn't, it would still be worth it, as it's mine.

Now I do plan to go all grain in the future & whilst the brew lengths will be even cheaper, the start up costs aren't/won't be. Even so, all grain will only give me the wort, as does the DME, so all the stuff I've been doing, boiling, cooling, post hopping etc etc etc etc, will be exactly the same. So for me, DME is a stepping stone only, as lets face it, if I can't make a brew with DME, how can I make a brew with all grain.

Owwwww & as a family man, loosing 2+ hours in my brewing window, is worth a couple of quit (I pay £2.95 for 500g of muntons light).

[Daigoro]

I have abandoned extract brewing - for the moment at least - because of the price. Last time I made a partial grain brew (end of last year) I had to pay £7+ just for the hops. Kits are easier, too!

[WishboneBrewery]

I have abandoned extract brewing - for the moment at least - because of the price. Last time I made a partial grain brew (end of last year) I had to pay £7+ just for the hops. Kits are easier, too!

http://www.barleybottom.com

How's £3.29 sound?

[Daigoro]

http://www.barleybottom.com

How's £3.29 sound?

Almost acceptable! Still postage to consider.