Poll:How much do you spend on Wine, Beer & Liquor on Average?

[RAE]

We make most of the wine we drink, and about half of the beer we drink, so it's kinda hard to figure out what we spend on wine and beer. I guess I could do it, but I'd rather not know, as we enjoy our wine and beer, and we can afford it. I generally drink a couple glasses of wine with dinner every day (usually a red wine), while DW will typically have one glass. We each typically drink one good craft beer after dinner (we make mostly IPAs, some pale ales). We don't drink much hard liquor, but we will on occasion have a gin and tonic on a warm summer day.

The wines we make are from local fruit that I pick around here (some grapes, but lots of other small fruits as well), and in my opinion it is very good. I can certainly enjoy a bottle of good wine from the market also, but we don't really buy that much wine anymore. We make only dry wines (all the sugars are fermented out)..........nothing sweet at all.

A glass of good red wine really enhances a meal, at least for me. My father-in-law introduced me to the practice of enjoying wine with meals many years ago, and I was hooked after that

 

[Winemaker]

We make most of the wine we drink, and about half of the beer we drink, so it's kinda hard to figure out what we spend on wine and beer. I guess I could do it, but I'd rather not know, as we enjoy our wine and beer, and we can afford it. I generally drink a couple glasses of wine with dinner every day (usually a red wine), while DW will typically have one glass. We each typically drink one good craft beer after dinner (we make mostly IPAs, some pale ales). We don't drink much hard liquor, but we will on occasion have a gin and tonic on a warm summer day.

The wines we make are from local fruit that I pick around here (some grapes, but lots of other small fruits as well), and in my opinion it is very good. I can certainly enjoy a bottle of good wine from the market also, but we don't really buy that much wine anymore. We make only dry wines (all the sugars are fermented out)..........nothing sweet at all.

A glass of good red wine really enhances a meal, at least for me. My father-in-law introduced me to the practice of enjoying wine with meals many years ago, and I was hooked after that

+10

 

[YoungSaver]

I make my own and track costs. If I factor in equipment and electricity costs than it's about $8 per gallon. I value my time at $0 per hour since it's my hobby. The value of your time is a hot debate for people that track costs of homebrewing.

Locally produced product runs around $16 per gallon regularly, but everyone has a cheap growler day, so you can get it around $12 per gallon.

I homebrew as a hobby. It just so happens to save me a few dollars per week.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I make my own and track costs. If I factor in equipment and electricity costs than it's about $8 per gallon. I value my time at $0 per hour since it's my hobby. The value of your time is a hot debate for people that track costs of homebrewing.

Locally produced product runs around $16 per gallon regularly, but everyone has a cheap growler day, so you can get it around $12 per gallon.

I homebrew as a hobby. It just so happens to save me a few dollars per week.

I used to buy 15.5 gallon kegs of craft beer for about $130, so that's about what you pay to homebrew

 

[Winemaker]

I used to buy 15.5 gallon kegs of craft beer for about $130, so that's about what you pay to homebrew

Yeah, but you're not experiencing the angst or frustration that may occur with an improper fermentation temperature or contamination of a wild ass yeast strain/bad yeast. Or the satisfaction of saying, "I made that!". That's priceless!

 

[Big_Hitter]

Yeah, but you're not experiencing the angst or frustration that may occur with an improper fermentation temperature or contamination of a wild ass yeast strain/bad yeast. Or the satisfaction of saying, "I made that!". That's priceless!

about 20 years ago, i wanted to get into home brewing but DW said "no! but you can buy whatever beer you want" so I decided to get a kegerator

 

[sengsational]

Six pages, wow! I'm posting my results after reading the first page.

This is a homebrew only report (like most, grocery, bar and restaurant purchases are mixed in).

My brewing records for the last 100 months indicate a spend of $34.45/month (that includes the purchase of my simple homebrewing equipment). That generated 208.6 gallons of finished beer (I didn't drink it all, hehe!).

So 2,225 bottles (equivalency/for comparison...I don't put it in individual bottles) or about $1.42 per bottle.


EDIT - Addition:
Just read through all the pages and see there's a flurry of homebrewer chat! I'm not down to $0.75/bottle, but a lot of what I brewed in the earlier days was extract, so more money. Also, most of what I've brewed is over 7% ABV, so needs a lot of grain. The one fermenting now started at 1.091!

 

[YoungSaver]

Also, most of what I've brewed is over 7% ABV, so needs a lot of grain. The one fermenting now started at 1.091!

Nice. We also brew ours around 6-8%

 

[Big_Hitter]

EDIT - Addition:
Just read through all the pages and see there's a flurry of homebrewer chat! I'm not down to $0.75/bottle, but a lot of what I brewed in the earlier days was extract, so more money. Also, most of what I've brewed is over 7% ABV, so needs a lot of grain. The one fermenting now started at 1.091!

still, if I was drinking again I'd stick with the kegs - that's a dollar a pint for basically any craft beer

 

[Montecfo]

I don't drink anymore. Then again, I don't drink any less.

But I have not graduated to the point of having a seperate budget line item for alcohol. In fact it is largely buried in my cash expenses budget, since I never use a credit card at the ABC store.

Who knows, I could decide to run for school board some day.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I homebrewed once...with extract, of course. It was a porter, and it came out pretty good if I do say so myself, but it wasn't as good as what I usually buy (which is often 6-10% ABV), and the time I did try it, my wife and daughter were away for a week, so I had the kitchen to myself for an extended period of time. I could see trying it again once we're retired, though!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Wine and other alcohol at home only when entertaining. Love a craft cocktail or glass of wine at a restaurant, which I usually ask the waiter to choose, rarely both. DH drank his lifetime alcohol quota long ago so he is done .

Wine and the need for it is such a thing in the US now.

 

[Nick12]

The many homeless in my part of Florida are not very price savvy. The lucrative begging art that they have perfected and they instead go to the local 7-11 or Wawa to buy their beer instead of the cheaper option of going to the local grocery store such as Wal Mart.

 

[Big_Hitter]

The many homeless in my part of Florida are not very price savvy. The lucrative begging art that they have perfected and they instead go to the local 7-11 or Wawa to buy their beer instead of the cheaper option of going to the local grocery store such as Wal Mart.

kegs are even cheaper

 

[dtbach]

With what I pay in eating out/cruises, plus 3 or 4 homebrew beer kits/yr, plus a bottle of good wine/wk and good bottle of bourbon/mo, I had to go into the $100-200 range. Probably is higher but I don't keep track of it.

 

[W2R]

Looks like the median in this poll is within the $50-$100 category.

If someone spends, say, $75/month on alcohol, that is $900/year.

I guess this means that I don't have to feel bad about my insane habit of buying a new laptop computer every year or two, whether I need it or not - - hey, I'm just using my booze money!

 

[aja8888]

Wine and other alcohol at home only when entertaining. Love a craft cocktail or glass of wine at a restaurant, which I usually ask the waiter to choose, rarely both. DH drank his lifetime alcohol quota long ago so he is done .

Wine and the need for it is such a thing in the US now.

(my bold above)

Hey, I crossed that same bridge about 10 years ago. Just happened one day....woke up and said I am pretty sure I used up my lifetime allotment of alcohol.

DW, not quite yet, so I am the Designated Driver.

 

[audreyh1]

about 20 years ago, i wanted to get into home brewing but DW said "no! but you can buy whatever beer you want" so I decided to get a kegerator

I tried it once from grains and really enjoyed the process, but we just couldn’t handle the volume produced.

 

[Bestwifeever]

(my bold above)

Hey, I crossed that same bridge about 10 years ago. Just happened one day....woke up and said I am pretty sure I used up my lifetime allotment of alcohol.

DW, not quite yet, so I am the Designated Driver.

Instead of using marshmallows with kids to test for delayed gratification, if the researchers used adults with a beer or glass of wine, I wonder how the folks here would do!

 

[sengsational]

Instead of using marshmallows with kids to test for delayed gratification, if the researchers used adults with a beer or glass of wine, I wonder how the folks here would do!

It would be quite a challenge for me, I know. I've realized that anything more than one beer and my sleep is impacted, and I've vowed to protect my sleep above all else, since it affects my mood and health. So it's the "now" me arguing with the "future" me about that next beer. Exactly the marshmallow test.

 

[rprun54]

$1400/ month