New Brews Brew News

I started a Hefewiezen and a West Coast Amber yesterday. Double batches can be a pain (especially w/no help) but "I do this for the people" ;). I wanted to start at 7:00am but didn't get going until 8. The entire process took about 5 hours. I'm trying to manage the time a little better so I can do less running around in the least amount of time. Brewing should be a relaxing hobby.
Both beers are in the process of fermenting. The hefe started very fast (under 12 hours). The amber is taking it's precious time. Sometimes it could take 48 hours before fermentation begins. It helps when a starter is made. It adds more yeast to the wort. More yeast means faster fermentation "liftoff". I made a starter for the hefe but not for the amber and the proof is obvious. Other than laziness I can't think of any other reason why I didn't make a starter for the amber.
When they finish I will have approximately 10 gallons of home made brew which gets put on a tap system I built. 10 gallons of wonderful fresh beer. Now 10 gallons equals 106 pints (16oz). I spent about $100 on both batches so for my beer costs me approximately 97 cents a pint or around $6 for a six pack of beer that even Budweiser couldn't make any fresher. That $100 is very expensive for homebrew too. Buying the ingredients one batch at a time gets pretty pricey. I'd like to buy in bulk but I don't have the storage yet.
Below is a picture of the last hefe I made. It had to have been one of my best batches to date. Zero complaints from all who drank it and I even had someone tell me he'd definitely buy a sixer the next time I made it. Cheers!