Beer brewing can be a pricey process at times. If you decide to buy a beer brewing kit that can only be used so many times you may be investing in a lot of these if you brew your own beer more than occasionally. The amount of time you spend on brewing a batch of beer has little to do with the cost, so do not worry about this factor if you are trying to find ways to brew cheap. Using ingredients that are not top of the line, so to speak, can sometime help to save some money for the home brewer. The cost of brewing a five gallon batch from your home is still cheaper than going to the store and buying a couple of cases.
Thankfully for all the home brewers out there, beer is made of relatively cheap ingredients. So, sometimes there is no need to compromise the taste of your beer to save a few bucks. It is a waste of time to mess around with ingredients that are not fresh, so do not worry about cutting corners on the cost when it comes to the ingredients. If you like a stronger beer than they sell in the store you may end up spending a bit more on the fermenting agents of the beer like barley. So, if you like a strong beer, do not cut corners on the fermenting agents of your beer either. You will get a much richer flavor from your beer if you do not do this.
The cheapest way to brew beer from home is the all grain brewing method. If you buy your grain in bulk you will be saving far more money this way. Of course, to do it this way you will have to make the small investment in a grain mill and a mash tun. However, with this investment you will be able to brew beer at under two dollars per gallon. You will also be able to brew a mild ale for nearly one dollar a gallon. So, if you can afford to make the initial investment in these pieces of equipment, you can make you home brewing process as cheap as possible.