Short answer: heaps. A beer from a bottle shop slab costs somewhere around $2.30 to $3.75. Brew it yourself and you're looking at roughly 40 to 85 cents a beer.
It's like making your coffee at home instead of doing the daily café run. Same great result, a fraction of the price, and you get to make it exactly how you like it.
Here's how the numbers stack up, and how quickly your home brew gear pays for itself.
Is home brewing legal in Australia?
Yes, 100%. According to the ATO, you don't need a licence to make beer and other fermented drinks at home, as long as it's for personal use and not for sale. That covers home-brewed beer, cider and wine.
So, you can brew as much as you like for yourself, your mates and your next barbie. Just don't sell it!
Why bottle-shop beer costs so much
A big chunk of what you pay for a slab is tax. Commercial beer attracts excise duty, and the rate goes up twice a year, in February and August, in line with inflation. Then there's GST on top, plus packaging, freight and the bottle shop's margin.
When you brew at home for yourself, there's no excise to pay. You're mostly just paying for ingredients. That's where the savings come from.
The numbers: slab vs home brew
A standard 23L home brew batch makes around 60 beers. That's about two and a half slabs' worth, for less than the price of one.
|
Option |
Cost |
Beers |
Cost per beer |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bottle shop slab |
$55 to $90+ |
24 |
$2.30 to $3.75 |
|
Home brew: kit |
$25 to $40 a batch |
about 60 |
40 to 70c |
|
Home brew: all-grain |
$35 to $50 a batch |
about 60 |
60 to 85c |
Extract kits are the easiest way in. You mix a can of malt extract with water and sugar, add yeast and let it do its thing. All-grain brewing takes a bit more time and gear, but gives you full control over the recipe.
How fast does a starter kit pay for itself?
A basic beer starter kit costs around $150, and it pays for itself within your first two batches.
Here's the maths. Sixty beers bought as slabs would cost about $137 to $225. Brewing those same 60 beers costs $25 to $40 in ingredients. So every batch saves you roughly $100 to $200.
Two batches in, you've covered the kit. Everything after that is savings, batch after batch. Your fermenter and bottles get reused every time, so the only ongoing cost is ingredients.
What you need to get started
At a minimum, you'll need three things:
- A fermenter, where the magic happens
- Brewing ingredients, like a beer extract kit, sugars and malts and yeast
- Cleaning and sanitising products, because clean gear makes great beer
The easy way in is a beer starter kit, which bundles most of this together so you don't have to buy everything separately. You'll also want bottles and some cleaning gear.
Once you've got a few batches under your belt, you can level up. Try fresh wort kits for brewery-style results, or add hops to make a kit beer your own.
Never brewed before? Our beginner's home brewing guide walks you through your first batch, step by step.
Or come and have a chat with the team. With over 30 years in the game, we'll help you pick the right kit and get your first brew off to a cracking start. Find us at Morayfield, Strathpine and Ningi/Bribie, or shop online 24/7 at thebrewshed.com.au.
Quick FAQs
Is it legal to brew beer at home in Australia? Yes. You can brew beer, cider and wine at home without a licence, as long as it's for personal use and not for sale.
How much does it cost to brew beer at home? A batch from an extract kit costs around $25 to $40 and makes about 60 beers. That's roughly 40 to 70 cents a beer.
How long until I can drink it? Most kit beers take about 4 to 6 weeks: one to two weeks fermenting, then two weeks or more conditioning in the bottle.
Can I brew the beer I already like? Definitely. From a classic lager to a hazy pale ale, you can brew pretty much any style at home, and tweak the bitterness, strength and flavour to suit you.