I like the idea of making your own stuff instead of buying it. I find that doing so is often not only frugal but fun. For instance, I often make my own yogurt and granola bars. It’s cheaper to make these things at home than it is to buy them at the store, and it’s neat to have control over the final product, to mess around and switch up the ingredients as the whim strikes you.

I heard a while ago that you can make beer at home and thought the idea sounded like fun, and it also sounded like something that could save some cash if you enjoy a brew from time to time, which I do (all things in moderation). I looked into purchasing a beer-brewing kit and concluded that it was too danged expensive. The very cheapest one I could find - a low-end kit from Mr.Beer - runs $40. Ouch. I relegated the idea to the back of my mind with all the other rusty cobweb-covered neato concepts that don’t actually work, as I was insistent on the home-brewed beer being much cheaper than the store-bought variety.

Just today I happened across this article which teaches you how to put together your own brewing kit and make beer very cheaply. The startup cost mentioned in the article is $23 (Canadian - FYI, this is about the same as US at the time being). Here are the items you have to buy:

- A ten-gallon plastic pail ($12)
- 74″ of siphon hose ($2)
- A hose clamp ($1)
- A hydrometer (which is not absolutely required - $8)

You’ll also need bottles, but you should be able to get those for free from someplace or another.

The article mentions $10-$15 as a cost for one six-gallon batch of beer, but honestly, I think you could make it cheaper. The only ingredients you absolutely need to brew beer are malt, brewers’ yeast, and sugar. The least expensive malt I could find comes from Homebrewers Outpost and costs $5.25 for two pounds, or enough to make about five gallons of beer. Yeast is cheap, too - only about one gram is needed per gallon, and the same supplier will sell you six ounces for $1.50 (by the way, I’m not getting paid by these folks, and I’ve never ordered from them before, so caveat emptor). Sugar is obviously pretty inexpensive as well. I estimate you could brew one batch of beer in accordance with the instructions linked above for less than $8.

Clearly, the ingredient cost is incredibly cheap compared with store-bought beer, and the equipment would pay itself off after only one batch - even in comparison with the cheapest, wateriest, yuckiest store-bought beer. Plus, you can brag to your friends that you make beer at home. I’m sure everybody will want to come hang out at your place!

I plan to try out this idea for myself in the near future, and when I do, I’ll post again to report the results.

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