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February 27, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
-
Written byTrent Categories:Photo Diary  Bookmarks:del.icio.us
,
reddit 
I
’
ve mentioned many times on The Simple Dollar that I enjoy brewing my own beer athome, and just as many times, readers have requested a walkthrough of this processalong with some cost analyses.Recently, I made a batch of porter and took some photographs along the way toillustrate the process. Let
’
s dig in!
Equipment 
If your goal is simply to brew a batch of beer and consume it in one sittingwith a group of friends, all you need is a brewing bucket, a bubbler,and a siphon hose, depicted below. These supplies are available at any home brewingstore.When you mix up a batch of beer, it needs to ferment for a week or two, and this
A Walkthrough and CostBreakdown of Brewing Your OwnBeer
 
 
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http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/02/27/a-walkthrough-and-cost-breakdown-of-brewing-your-own-beer/ 
 
bucket makes it quite easy. You simply put your unfermented beer in the bucket, putthe bubbler in the little hole on top of the bucket (the bubbler allows gas to escapewithout contaminating the beer), and let it sit. When you
’
re ready to drink the beer,just open the spigot and drink a glass
-
the hose can make it easier to pour.Most home brewers tend to want to bottle their beer for long
-
term storage. If that
’
sthe case, you
’
ll need to accumulate roughly fifty empty, clean beer bottles and also asimple bottle capper, again available at your local beermaking supply store.This equipment, all together, will cost $20 or so and are often available in kits.When making beer, I use a few optional items: The large glass jug is called a carboy. You can use it for long
-
term storage of thefermenting beer
-
it doesn
’
t last too long in the bucket. Also, I usean auto
-
siphon(which makes it very easy to siphon beer out of the carboy) and a bottling tip (whichmakes it very easy to put beer in the bottles). You may also want a hydrometer, whichyou can use to calculate the alcohol content of the beer you make.You don
’
t need these things to make beer, but itdoes make it easier in some ways.You can leave the beer for a very long time in thecarboy and bottling is a much easierprocess with the auto
-
siphon and the bottling tip.The only additional items you
’
ll need to make your own beer can likelyalready be found in your kitchen. You
’
ll need a large pot (one that canhold four gallons ofliquid or so), a large spoon to stir it with, a thermometer, and a funnel (if you
’
re using acarboy). You
’
ll also need to carefully sanitize any equipment you may use
-
I use ableach solution to make sure everything is as clean as possible.
Making Beer 
As I mentioned earlier, I planned to make a porter. I foundan interesting recipe onthe internet:6 pounds plain amber malt extract8 ounces crushed crystal malt (60 L)4 ounces crushed chocolate malt4 ounces crushed black patent malt1 ounce cluster hops (bittering)1/2 ounce Williamette hops (finishing)Along with these ingredients, there are a few standard items you
’
ll need for any beermaking journey: a grain steeping bag (essentially a teabag for steeping the grains inthe water), priming sugar, yeast, and caps.
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Recent Articles
»Reader Mailbag #52 »Review: Results Without Authority »The Cost of the Psychology of New »An Interview With Vicki Robin, Author of “Your Moneyor Your Life” »A Walkthrough and Cost Breakdown of Brewing Your
Own Beer
 »The Intelligent Investor: “Margin of Safety” as theCentral Concept of Investment »The “Challenge” »Some Thoughts on Building a Successful Marriage »Understanding CD Rates »The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Podcast Edition »Should You Use a Credit Card As Your EmergencyFund? »When You Go Too Cheap 
One Year Ago Today...
»February 2008 Review - Assets -0.5%, Debts -1.0% »Review: Simple Prosperity 
Most Popular Articles
Here are the 10 most popular posts ever to appear onThe Simple Dollar, based on number of visitors.1.How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent - AndSave Big Money 2.30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software forWindows 3.Homemade Bread: Cheap, Delicious, Healthy, andEasier Than You Think 
 
 All of these items are available at a beermaking supply store. I acquired all of theabove for roughly $35.A big part of the fun of homebrewing is that you can experiment with the recipes asmuch as you want. For example, my wife and I made an oatmeal stout that went off  the recipe quite a bit and it turned out sublimelydelicious.Most beer making recipes follow a pretty standardprocedure. Just pour two gallons ofwater into your large pot, heat it to 160 degrees F(80 degrees C) or so, put the grainsin the grain bag and tie it off, then drop the grainbag in the water to steep fortwenty minutes or so.Above, I took the picture just after dropping the
“
tea bag
”
into the water. Thesteeping will cause the water to change color, usually to some shade of brown. Here
’
swhat it looks like after the steeping.
4.31 Days To Fix Your Finances: A Wrapup 5.Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know AboutPersonal Finance on the Back of Five Business Cards 6.15 Things You Can Do Right Now To Help Your Career 7.Ten Financial Reasons To Turn Off Your Television -And Ten Things To Replace It With 8.I’m Twenty Years Old And Have No Debt - When CanI Retire And Live Off My Investments? 9.The FICO Battle: Ten Common Tactical MistakesWhen Dealing With The Credit Score Blues 10.Trimming The Fat: Forty Ways To Reduce YourMonthly Required Spending 
Recommended Reading
Each week, I review a personal finance book on TheSimple Dollar. Here are the ten best of all that I'vereviewed. Each of these are well worth reading, socheck them out (links go to my detailed review of thebook).
Your Money or Your Life
(living)
What Color Is Your Parachute?
(careers)
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
(investments)
The Complete Tightwad Gazette
(frugality)
The Total Money Makeover
(debt management)
Born to Buy
(parenting)
It Pays To Talk
(communication)
Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
 (efficiency)
The Money Trap
(mental blocks)
The Millionaire Next Door
(lifestyles)
Don't know what book to start with?
Check outmybuyer's guide for personal finance books.In addition, I also do a weekly review of a personaldevelopment or personal productivity book, looking forways to manage my time and my behaviors aseffectively as I manage my money. Here are the tenbest of those (links go straight to the detailed review).
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