Newcomer Questions

[CMosley]

I'll try to keep most of my questions as non-n00b-ish as possible. My grandfather and I are thinking about getting into beer making as well as trying out wine making as well. My question that I have is how long does it generally take to make one batch (~5 Imp. Gallons) of good beer--as in days--and what cost will it be to make the beer(s). Just need the cost after I buy the kit and everything that would be needed there-after. My main reason for this question is I am just curious as to the price per bottle to make it; compared to store bought.

With the wine making, my grandfather wants to know, where can we find the juice(s) to be purchased for making wine. Needing to know because we don't want to take the time to smash a ton of grapes and put a huge work load on something that we are first trying out.

If you have any tips or any advice please let me know as well. If you want you can e-mail me the info or post it here. I can get to either when I need to. Thanks in Advance.

[Guest]

To be honest with you it depends on what you're brewing. A typical ale will take at least 4-6 weeks before you can drink. A lager may take up to months. Plus you also have to look at the SG (specific gravity), if it's going to be a high SG then expect a longer wait due to fermentation to achieve you final gravity.

As for the cost, that depends on what you are drinking now. If you are drinking something that costs you $10/case then you may be spending more on home brew. But if you are drinking quality beers such as Sierra Nevada, Guiness, etc then the cost may be comparable. Take the cost of the kit and divide it by 48 and that will give you a rough estimate of cost per bottle.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[grapeadmin]

As Brian says, take the cost of the ingredient and divide by 48. Most of our extract ingredient packages cost around $25-35, so 30/48= .625. A six pack would then cost about $3.75. You would be able to make beers for this cost. To buy a comparable beer, you might pay $6.00-$8.00 a six pack.

We sell all the wine juices you need to make quality wine. Year 'round we stock sterile wine juices and kits from around the world. In the fall, we bring in California juice and wine grapes.

You can see the selection of juices and kits here:

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/2,1144.html


You can see the beer ingredient kits here:

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/2,1352.html

Thanks!
john

[Spence in WV]

The folks at Grape and Granary will take care of you. I have called them lots of times and they are extremely helpful. I am partial to wheat beers and oatmeal stouts and can brew them for about 60-70 cents per 12 oz. bottle. Homebrew is easy to do and will taste significantly better than store bought stuff that has been overly filtered. Start saving all the long neck beer bottles you can. (I stay away from screw off caps.) I buy an ocassional case of bottles, but I also have a friend who likes to drink Samuel Adams beer and he saves me the bottle (after he consumes the beer) and cases they come in. every so often I slide him a few homebrews in appreciation.

[tony in Can]

In newfoundland, Canada I can brew 5 imp. gal ( about 5 1/2 doz. ) for the cost of 1 doz. It's better tasting, and once hooked into brewing, you'll never go back, but go forward, trying different styles. Good luck with it.

[Guest]

I will be trying my hand at beer making in a couple of weeks. What would be the best kit to start with(equipment)? I look forward to coming to the Grape and Granary. Thanks in advance for your help.
Joshua

[grapeadmin]

Our most popular beer equipment package can be found here:

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,9466.html

Thanks!
john