$579; beermkr.com
For many, the joy of brewing is in the labor—the ritual and routine that stretch from visualizing a recipe to planning and executing it, while dialing in gear to optimize the output. Drinking the actual beer is great, but few homebrewers I know can actually drink as much beer as they enjoy brewing. It’s part of the equation: Brewing five-, 10-, or 20-gallon batches means giving beer to friends and family if you want to brew as often as you’d like.
For others, the technology and ritual are just means to an end—brewing exactly what you want to drink and doing it from scratch rather than buying someone else’s handiwork. The pride in making something is often tied to the challenge in the process, but the beauty of the finished product—regardless of the effort expended—can also be enough to justify the effort to make, rather than buy, beer.