My husband and I drink a fair amount of good beer. We probably go through 1-2 six-packs a week (less right now because I'm pregnant and not drinking at all). We've toyed for a while with the thought of brewing our own but I don't know if we'd enjoy it enough for it to be worth the time unless it also saved us money. Any home-brewers here? We were given some of the equipment from a friend but not all of it, so there would be a start-up cost, of course.
Homebrewing is a consummate mustachian pursuit. I and my son compete against each other to make world-class beer for the lowest possible cost. Both of us can make killer brew for about 35 cents/bottle using all-grain. We can make extract brews for about 45 cents/bottle. We re-use beer bottles (I have a garage full..more than I'll ever use.) and we hand-cap them. Some people hate bottling but it's a fun thing to do with someone you like. After you've done it a few times, you get pretty fast. My son and I can bottle 5 gallon batch of about 48 bottles in about 1.5 hours after the bottles come out of the dishwasher.
I prefer to make my own beer WAY more than going to a brewery or a bar and fighting the crowds. If you have a little one on the way, homebrewing will let you and your husband have quality beer and enjoy it in safety and security of your own home while you are with your little one. What most people forget is, if both of you go out for a beer, you gotta add in the cost of a good babysitter, if you can find one at all.
I make beer with a turkey fryer kit (pot and burner) and a 7 gallon plastic bucket. I hand-bottle my beer with a little red cap crimper and beer bottles given to me by friends.
It's possible to make beer so good, that so perfectly suits your own tastes, that you will prefer making your own to buying anything. I like all types, but my faves are stouts and porters, which disappear during the summer months. I HATE the idea of "seasonal stout".
I conjured up a "Simcoe Extract" and "Simcoe All-grain" beer a few years ago that my sons STILL say is the best beer they've ever had. Imagine a crisp, pale wheat ale that's about 1/2 as hoppy as an IPA with about 4.5% ABV. It was a session ale before session ales became all the rage.
I made both batches the same day and was able to split my grain and hops across both batches. I re-used yeast from the last batch. Total cost was about 42 cents/bottle.
Find someone local who is an accomplished homebrewer and get their guidance. See if you can find homebrewers who already have their systems and processes perfected who will work with you to brew styles you like. This will help you figure out what you are trying to do, without spending money on equipment.
It's best if you can find someone who isn't obsessed with spending money on the gear, but is obsessed with making the best possible beer at lowest cost. But if you end up working with someone who has some awesome thousands-of-dollars system, that's OK too. Just don't let yourself get obsessed.
Here's the minimum equipment you need to make beer:
1) A pot. My favorite is a 5 gallon Tramontina I bought on sale at Wal-Mart for $16. It has a small dent in it that's nothing.
2) A 6.5 or 7 gallon food-grade plastic bucket with a tight-sealing top and an airlock. About $15.
3) A bottling bucket. About $15.
4) A bottle cap crimper, recycled beer bottles (crimp type, NOT twist-offs!) and a new bottle cap for each bottle. About $12
5) A siphoning device, some clear plastic hose and a filling wand. $10-$20.
6) Powdered sanitizer, about $2-3.
Total around $80 if you have nothing, less if you already have some items. You only buy these things once. The sanitizer will last several batches. You make it up by the gallon and spray it in the bucket and in your hoses and filling wand before you bottle. There are kits of these parts (no boil pot) available from "Midwest Supply" for $65-$80. That's how I started.
If you have a gas stove, you can make 5 gallons in your kitchen. If you have an electric stove, go with 3 gallons.
If you already have a turkey fryer kit, that's good. You can make 5 gallon batches that way.
Cooling the beer after the boil, so you can put it in the plastic bucket with the yeast, it challenging. We used to buy 3-5 gallons of distilled water and put it in the fridge the day before. Adding the cool water to the batch will get you there, you just have to make sure it's very clean water - you don't want to add bacteria accidentally. (we used to buy bagged ice and had that problem)
After awhile, I made "counterflow chillers" for both me and my son to use. They work very well. You can either buy, or make one for about $75. 3/8" copper tubing is so expensive, it can be cost-effective to just buy one from someone who makes 'em and gets the copper tubing cheaper in bulk.
Please - let us know what you end up doing and how it goes. There are plenty of us out here who homebrew and keep it mustachian and don't go crazy over stainless steel systems.