The Brew It Yourself Culture
It's true: every scene has its do-it-yourself faction. Bearded indie rockers are producing acclaimed albums with little more than a MacBook and a few decent microphones; risk-taking filmmakers are shooting hand held masterpieces with next-to-no care for Hollywood's high-budget rules. People are turning to Youtube to broadcast their self-produced television shows, and small-time software developers are raking in the dough with Lil' Wayne-inspired iPhone apps.
The world of beer (and beer brewing) is really no different. As Michigan's economy continues to nose-dive, and hard working Michigander speer into emptier and emptier wallets, a night out at the bar can seem awfully debilitating. But that's what's good about Americans during struggling times: they often take matters into their own hands. In the case (pun intended) of Michigan's drinking contingent, sometimes it's better to brew your own.
http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/MetroDetroitHomeBrewers0101.aspx
You know I never figured it was that much cheaper to brew my own. Lets forget about the cost of my brewing equipment (slightly more than a basic system), and the cost for the kegerator I built, and the electricity to keep it running. But just the cost of ingredients for extract brewing sets me back about $30-40 for 5 gallons - basically 2 cases of beer. And that doesn't include the propane to run a outdoor burner for a good hour of brew time.
Typically you can get a case of Bells at Costco for somewhere around $35 if memory serves me right.
And I do like Bells.....