I’m brand new here and very new to brewing in general. I have a lot of interest, but not a ton of time. I was looking at the different machines from PicoBrew and the newly announced PicoBrew Z caught my attention. Can anyone share their thoughts on this machine in general and if they think it could be good for someone like me who is interested in brewing, the brewing process, and eventually fine tuning recipes of my own? I like how the machine is modular and can range from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons depending on the model selected (but from what I understand you can upgrade later on as well). I would probably go with the 2.5 gallon model to start if I was to move forward on this piece of equipment. Here’s a link to the PicoBrew Z’s page for reference - https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z
Thanks in advance for any information you can supply!
It probably is a good machine to start on. It will support PicoPaks so you can make other people’s recipes. But, you can also buy ingredients on your own and make your own recipes or recipes from the AHA website.
The machine totally automates the mash and boil process, but, there is still a lot for you to do: design recipes, mill your grains, treat your water (not required but fun and helpful), pitch your yeast, and ferment your beer in a temperature controlled environment. I say all that so you don’t think you should be doing more work. You are still very involved. Involved, but, since mash and boil are a 3-4 hour process you save a lot of time. You can set up the machine and then come back 3-4 hours later to chill, pitch yeast, and clean up. You probably will spend 20-30 minutes on the front end prepping and 20-30 minutes on the back end.
The machine will take away some hassles. All grain should be very easy. You mill grains load the machine and the mash process is handled for you. So is the boil process. So you do miss some steps.
If you do buy one, use this code for $50 off. share link http://z.picobrew.com?kid=M2YC3 (Truth in advertising, I will get a discount too.)
Thanks for the response. I appreciate it. The PicoPak adapter is one of the things that attracted me to this machine as I’d like to at some point create my own. I had been looking at the Zymatic for quite sometime, and they had said there would be adapter released for it at some point, but after the announcement of the PicoBrew Z I found out they had dropped the adapter for the Zymatic. You sound like you have a lot of experience with the machine even though it’s not out yet. Do you own the Zymatic of have experience with it? It seems that the “Z” will be fairly similar. I was told by PicoBrew that the Z has more industrial grade parts though and will be set to work with some new recipe system in the future. If I jump I’d probably end up going for the 2.5 gallon, I’d love to do 5 gallons, but I’m not sure what the extra expense would be to wire a 240V Plug. Thanks again! Any input from anyone else would be great.
I don’t have a Zymatic. I have wanted one for a while but have never pulled the trigger. I know a few people that have them. Everyone seems to rave about the Zymatic and PicoBrew customer service. I was going to buy Zymatic during their last kick starter but I thought there might be a new machine in development and decided to wait. I am glad I did, although now I can’t stand waiting until July.
I already brew 2.5 gallon batches. I have been for about 2 years and in that time I have never needed to brew a larger batch. I brewed 5 gallon batches for years. I would often get bored with the beer before the keg kicked. I don’t share my beer as much as some people. I also try hard to limit my intake. Although, that is easier said than done with fresh kegged beer in the basement.
My thought on 2.5 versus 5 gallons is, it depends on how fast you go through the beer. A 2.5 gallon keg lasts 3-4 weeks for me. I brew once per month on average. If I need more, with the Picobrew I will just brew twice in one day. I figure when brewing back to back batches you only need to clean after the second batch. So, 2 batches takes longer, but there won’t be that much more work. I would only need 5 gallons if I was brewing for a party. In that case, I would probably want to different recipes for variety.
But, if you go through beer fast you will want the extra capacity to save time and work.
I wonder, if you brew two identical batches back to back in the 2.5 gallon version, can you add both to the same 5 gallon keg to ferment once your done? How would that work? Thanks again for your input!
Yes. You can ferment both in the same vessel. But not in a 5 gallon vessel. You need head room. 5 gallon batches need a 5.5-6 gallon fermenter (six is better IMHO.)
You could cool the first 2.5 gallons and pitch yeast. Then, when the second 2.5 gallons is ready you could pour that in (after cooling). You can even wait a day for the second batch.
That’s the traditional German method called Darauflassen – roughly “lay it on there” – run one wort onto the previous as the first comes into Kräusen. Used to build up yeast for a vigorous fermentation.
I’ve been using a Zymatic since they were first sold to the public. I wasn’t in on the kick starter. The best thing about Picobrew is their top notch customer service. I can’t overstate that. They have backed the machine 100%. I haven’t paid one cent for shipping or parts and I was out of warranty for most of my issues.
That said I’ve had a few mechanical breakdowns. I assume Pico has used early adopters feedback and experience to address these issues.
If you love hi-tech you’ll love the Zymatic and the company is great.
Like banjo-guy, I’ve used a Zymatic since they first came out. I also have a couple Picos, and they sell kits of my recipes (full disclosure). I’ve found all the systems easy to use to make great beer. Unlike banjo-guy, I haven’t had any issues with mine. I think they’re a great way to make beer with the least amount of effort in terms of the physical stuff you don’t want to do anyway! And the customer service is about the best I’ve seen in any company.
Thanks for chiming in Robert, I went ahead and did a little research on Darauflassen thanks to your comment. And thank you so much to both banjo-guy and denny for letting me know about their first hand experiences with the Zymatic. Denny, do you use your other picos to test the picopaks that you’ve created as the Zymatic never got the picopak adapter it was supposed to. That’s one of the things I’m excited about with the “Z” is that it comes with the adapter. Also, are either yourself or banjo-guy considering upgrading to the Z with their trade-in program? Just curious if that’s a popular option with Zymatic owners. Thanks again! Anymore input from anyone to keep the conversation going would be great!
Yeas, that’s one reason I have the Picos. Picobrew tells me they’re sending me a Z4. They built me a custom Zymatic, so I doubt I’ll trade it in. And again, AFAIK, there is no specific adapter for Paks. I believe they redesigned the step filter so Paks would fit. But I’m not certain. I’ll ask the next time I talk to them.
That’s awesome Denny! You must have a good relationship with the company. My curiosity can’t help but ask, how did they customize your Zymatic, what special tweaks did they include for you? Thanks!
I’m in their ads and have tested a bunch of stuff for them. The sell Paks of my Little RIPA Rye IPA, my Bourbon Vanilla Imperial POrter and I think a couple others. For the custom unit, they added a plate on the front that says “Badass” and put on a know that goes to 11.
I preordered the new Z. They gave existing owners a nice discount and additional savings for referrals.
I trust the company but I really need to see specifics about the product before I go ahead with the purchase.
Denny has a much better idea of the new Z than I do. I’m pretty sure that he has seen it firsthand. ( or at least the new Z in its current state). He is sworn to secrecy!
So I just pulled the trigger & bought the new PicoBrew Z as I went down the rabbit hole doing research I just couldn’t stop myself. Plus it’s fully refundable until it ships in July so I figured it was a no brainer to get the discount which expires on March 15th and then do more research.
I got to take advantage of the discount going on and used a coupon code from a forum member to get an extra $50 off. If anyone moves forward I would love for you to use my coupon code KYZ5R …you’ll save $50 and I’ll save some money too. I love the community element of saving money on this item! Also anyone with a Zymatic can exchange their current model for a $600 credit towards any of the Z models
Even though I pulled the trigger and just bought one I would love to still discuss the merits of this machine as I have till July to cancel if I want. Happy Brewing! So excited!
I have a zymatic that I have had for over a year and I like it, aside from the tray cracking I have had no issues and PicoBrew replaced it for free. It’s very easy to do back to back 2.5 gallon brews to get 5 gallons. A lot of people don’t realize that most successful comercial breweries brew several times to fill one tank so there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t run two batches.
I’m interested in the Z but a little disappointed it isn’t a whole new reworking of the system. Some of the cons of the Zymatic is the limited mash tun and I’m not super crazy about the way it handles hops. It also doesn’t “boil” instead holds at 207 degrees. But it does work so I like it.
The fact that is gets to 207 has always been a non issue for me. Has it been different for you? And it’s definitely a pretty much total reworking in terms of the intermals.
