My Zymatic Experience

[Banjo-guy]

Hi guys. I've been AWOL for quite a while and living in the land of Pico Brew. I thought I would post about my experience with the Zymatic system now that I've spent 1 1/2 years using it.

My first thought is that using the Z is easier in some ways but harder in others. If I had a dedicated area with a utility sink it would actually be less work and more enjoyable to brew with my old 2.5 gallon BIAB system. My machine was out of commission for a few brews and I used my old equipment and was surprised at how easy cleanup and mash/ boiling were. The Z is very easy to use but the cleanup is a pain ( at least for me). With BIAB I'm able to clean up the mash stuff while the boil is happening. The Z has many small parts that need to be taken apart and at least rinsed before they can be put in the dish washer. Fermentation happens in the brew keg. Because of this contaminating risk is minimal but cleaning the keg and all of its parts is a chore. I'd rather clean my Speidel.

Where the Z really shines is mashing. Any type of mash except decoction can be programmed and it's set it and forget it.

The whole brew process takes about 4 hours. It slow to heat to mash and boil temperature. It doesn't matter how long it takes because the machine runs by itself once you hit go. There is a new feature that allows you to program a start time. This means you could load the Z at night and wake up to a brew that was ready for chill down and clean up.

Hop utilization is less late in the boil than on most systems.The hop additions must be adjusted by adding more for late additions and less for bittering. IPA lovers can brew what they crave but to get in your face hops requires whirlpooling through the keg or reloading the hop cages post boil.

There is no built in chiller but because it's a closed system over-night chilling works without risk. Some claim that hop character is impacted but that is another topic.

My Z has had a few hardware issues. I had to send mine back for replacement. It was out of warranty and the company covered everything including shipping from NY to the west coast (twice). Customer service is exceptional.

I've had a few overflows.These were caused by my error but make me nervous about leaving the machine un-attended.

I think the company's focus is on the mass market Pico machine.This leaves a lot of Zymatic users feeling left out and asking for software upgrades.

I've made great and average beers on the Z and with BIAB. Repeatability is a huge advantage for the Z. Basically if I had a sink in my garage I'd still be using BIAB but the Zymatic is a solid system with a great company behind it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dawg LB Steve]

Nice write-up, glad you're still brewing and enjoying.

[RickBeer]

Nice write-up. A friend of mind has one also, going on close to 2 years. A very knowledgeable brewer, and a geek. He loves the internet connectivity, and also had to send his back twice. If one considers buying it, remember that many credit cards add a year to the warranty of any item you buy, and Citi credit cards add two years to the warranty. If a warranty includes shipping back and forth, then that would also be covered. He says the amount of time he saves by being able to walk away and have his phone tell him to come back to do something is great, he would not be able to brew otherwise.

When it was on Kickstarter, my concern was support and company longevity. At this point my only concern is company longevity, because their support seems outstanding. Everything about this is proprietary, so if they're not around to support it you have a $2,000 counter ornament. But again, their supports seems excellent, and there are no signs that the company isn't doing great.

It's on my list of possible all grain solutions when I evolve in the next 6 - 12 months.

[berryman]

Banjo-guy, First off nice to see your post and still around and making beer. That was a very nice review for somebody that might be thinking of getting a Zymatic system, very helpful..............

[alb]

I really like my Z, have had it about a year and a half. At least, I liked it when it worked. I found the cleanup pretty painless, and I liked the reproducibility of my recipes and being able to walk away from it. I did learn to put a towel on the floor to catch any incidental drips and minor overflows (my fault). Then I got a fatal error and none of the advice I've gotten from Customer Service about upgrading the firmware on a Mac has worked. I got so disgusted (not with customer service which is good, but with the breakdownability of the thing) that I bought a Grainfather. I've done 2 brews on that and so far so good. They also have good customer service and are replacing the leaky chiller without fuss, without me having to send the old one back.

Some of the recipes on the Z owners' website are really good.

[berryman]

I bought a Grainfather. I've done 2 brews on that and so far so good.

alb, I don't want to derail Banjo-guy's post but you should do a review on your grainfather now that you have used it on a couple brews. I was very close to buying one but went in a little different direction now..........

[Banjo-guy]

I really like my Z, have had it about a year and a half. At least, I liked it when it worked. . Then I got a fatal error and none of the advice I've gotten from Customer Service about upgrading the firmware on a Mac has worked.

I haven't found it to be all that breakable. I would describe it more as fussy. Everything has to be setup exactly as required or you get the dreaded " fatal error #1" You can tell that these guys were former Micro Soft employees from that error message. I have a Mac and was able to up date my firmware.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that because the Zymatic doesn't reach boiling temperature it produces very little moisture. I was planning on installing a ventilation fan in my garage but didn't bother because it's not needed.

Alb, Did you manage to sell yours without too much trouble?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[alb]

I've read a lot of owner feedback and the incidence of having to send back for repairs seems high to me. Of course. It's mostly the people who have trouble who post reviews so...

I have gone back and forth with customer service and still don't have the firmware updated. I'm going to try it on my HP laptop next.

I haven't sold it because I can't verify that it will work right now. If I can get it working, I will probably keep it for easy, small batch brew days.

My LHBS had one and they've been trying to sell it for a long time. Theirs has been unreliable and they're tired of messing with it. I'm not trying to knock it; I like it. But I'm leery now of getting a fatal error and wasting another batch.

[Banjo-guy]

Mine had a problem and it had to be sent back so I that confirms what you say.
The thing that drives me a little crazy is about 40% of the time something goes wrong. It is almost always my fault but it isn't stress free brewing for me. I can usually fix whatever is off but I always have the nagging feeling that I'll hear that beeping sound that indicates an error. If they weren't so great about returns and service I would be far less positive about the Z.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RickBeer]

That's my concern also. The one person I know that has it is very technical, very geeky, very scientific. His had gone back twice for a pump, the replacement pump batch was defective so that's why the 2nd return.

If I did buy it, I'd use my Citi card to get 3 years of warranty, but I would be bananas if in 4 or 5 years, after spending $2,000, it needed repairs and cost me hundreds of dollars plus shipping. Won't be making any decisions probably until late this year or early next year anyway.