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I have a neighbor who works for a large brewer and distributor who told me to stock up on beer because there's a shortage of EVERYTHING - aluminum, grains, hops, barley, glass, paper and plastic. He told me there was a company wide meeting on Monday and the managers said the shortages are getting worse and the prices for raw materials in ALL industries are skyrocketing.

He said to expect beer prices to go up another 10-15% this spring and some domestic brands will be hard to find.

My neighbor doesn't think it's from the Ukraine war, but from all the workers nationwide who were laid off or fired for refusing the vaccines, and that the war is just a cover up for the economic collapse.

I have a neighbor who works for a large brewer and distributor who told me to stock up on beer because there's a shortage of EVERYTHING - aluminum, grains, hops, barley, glass, paper and plastic. He told me there was a company wide meeting on Monday and the managers said the shortages are getting worse and the prices for raw materials in ALL industries are skyrocketing. He said to expect beer prices to go up another 10-15% this spring and some domestic brands will be hard to find. My neighbor doesn't think it's from the Ukraine war, but from all the workers nationwide who were laid off or fired for refusing the vaccines, and that the war is just a cover up for the economic collapse.

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[–] • 0 pt

That depends on what you are trying to make. Certain styles, like sours, are difficult. The process for most ales is fairly simple though, and there are yeast varieties out now that don't require strict temperature control durring fermentation. The equipment needs to be clean, you need accurate measurements for temperature, and your water has to be filtered or at least free of contaminates like chloramine. If you're stove can't boil a 5 gallon batch size, just make a smaller one. It's not for everyone, but neither is making toast.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

You aren't telling me anything I don't already know. I brewed my first batch of beer on an electric hot plate with the biggest pot I had in my kitchen. It was drinkable but in no world would I have considered it "premium". And your first several batches are going to be in that realm because you're going to mess some stuff up along the way.

The price of even modest equipment adds into the cost to make the beer + the $45 a batch. I'm seeing $80 for a 1 gallon kit and $140 for a 5 gallon kit. That'll get you started. You can probably find free bottles but if not you'll be buying those too. A few bucks for caps and the kits come with a capper. Again, this just gets you started. Not saying that's exactly what you'll have to spend. You can go super frugal and find thing used or possibly free but you'll have to decide how much effort you want to put into finding a bargain.

Not to mention you're looking at a week to ferment, another week in the secondary (not necessary but it helps with clarity), bottle and another week before it's fully carbonated. If you want to keg and force carbonate that's a whole bunch more money.

Some of the best beer I've ever had came out of a guy's garage but they have hundreds if not thousands of dollars sunk into making beer. These guys buy RO water and have a tackle box full of minerals and make their own water profiles. It's a great hobby and I would encourage anyone that's interested to brew your own beer. But nobody should kid themselves into thinking it's going to be cheaper than a case of Natty Light from the gas station or that you're going to make brewery quality beer without proper equipment.