Homebrewing on a budget

Homebrewing is a very cheap way to obtain alcohol, though we encourage those in poor economic circumstances to be responsible with their money. If you can budget to indulge in the hobby here are some helpful tips.

Reuse everything you can. Most stuff used in homebrewing can be reused in some way. All equipment can be used for many years, even muslin bags that while tricky to clean do not need to be just thrown out. The better you take care of your equipment the longer it lasts, which lead to one area I suggest you don’t try and save money on. Clean your equipment well, it will last longer and save you more money in the long term. This also applies to bottles, you don’t have to buy antique glass bottles which are £60. Even using plastic pop bottles that, while not fashionable do the job just fine and when cleaned properly can be used for a long time. This is not to say expensive equipment is never good, but that if you can’t afford it that is not a reason to mistreat cheaper equipment.

From your standard brew the only waste should be your hops or other ingredients added in the boil. These will be very sodden and not much use, at best you can throw them in the compost. The malt you used can be made into dog biscuits and you can even propagate your own yeast starting from a very small amount. If you are having trouble keeping track of what you used in a homebrew keep a checklist and mark what was waste and what wasn’t, you should quickly be able to see where you can make improvements.

Our kits are also a very cheap way to save money while brewing, but with the “make mine a” addon’s you can save even more. By adding in the extra malt, you can save even more money by doing a bigger batch (or just do the same sized one with more flavour). The other options also allow you to improve the quality of your kit for a low cost, such as the extra Irish moss creating a clearer drink so more of your batch is clear ale.

A lot of saving money comes down to common sense, don’t chuck out something straight away and take good care of what you have.