BeerBorg

Banjo:

You get a chance to use this bad boy yet?

Watching a webinar on this via Adventures in Homebrewing and Austin Homebrew Supply in 10 minutes.

Watching a webinar on this sponsored by Adventures in Homebrewing and Austin Homebrew Supply at 3 EDT.

What a waste. About 3 minutes of talking, then answered questions. I left quickly.

I think the machine blew up banjo.

D_Rabbit wrote:Banjo:

You get a chance to use this bad boy yet?

As Banjo did not reply yet, let me reply. I have had the Picobrew since April, and since then have been brewing at regular intervals (on avergage every two weeks). Works great, fill the ingredients, select the recipe, push the button and go. I watch the brewing cycle (time & temp) on my smartphone or tablet, as it is all on-line. When I get close to the end, I go back to the Picobrew, wait for it to beep, then start the cooling cycle. While people have hooked up in-line chiller, etc. I just use the method suggested by Picobrew. Just take off the cozy and stand the keg in a bucket, the surround with ice (lower 1/3 of keg). Usually takes 30-40 minutes to cool. I don't ferment in the keg, also suggested by Picobrew, but transfer to a separate fermentor (Since yesterday, I now have two Demons 2.5 gals size, perfect for the Picobrew). Then you run one or two rinse cycles, with a full cleaning cycle (using dish washing tablets) every 5th brew. I about 4-5 hours all told (depending on the recipe) you are ready to go again.
Their recipe editor is pretty good, not perfect though. You can import beerXML files, but there are issues transferring to/from Beersmith. The issues could be reduced by updating BS with ingredient names that match those that are in the Picobrew tool. Unfortunately, only Picobrew can update their library.

BTW, one word of caution, especially given the time of year. DON'T try to brew a pumpkin ale, I did and it bunged up a pump. SO my Picobrew is back in Seattle being repaired

I guess I'm really late to this party, but that's one heck of a present! Congrats

I'm here! I wasn't blown up by the Zymatic. I wish I had more to report to everyone but I used my Z for the second time today. I haven't been brewing because of some family issues.
NottingHill's write up is pretty much my experience. If I had to ship my Z back to Seattle I wouldn't be happy. That's got to be expensive.

It is a really cool present! Great wife!

@Nottinghill, thanks for chiming in with your experience with the Pico. sorry to hear it got fowled up by the punkin!

Also

@Banjo-guy @NottingHill thank you both for sharing your new PicoBrew experiences. I can't help but imagine that someday these new automated brewing systems may do for home brewing beer what Keurig and Tassimo have done for home brewing coffee! They've sure come a long long way from the days of using a three quart pot, can opener and an LBK to brew my beer. Here's to innovation!

Screwy, It's not really the Keurig or the bread maker of brewing. The Zymatic allows precise, easily repeated mash and hopping schedules. It really shines when it comes to mashing. Step mashes are easy.
The other big plus is ease of cleanup and the small footprint of the unit.
It's another way of brewing that allows full control of the elements of brewing.

If there is a downside it will be when something breaks and an out of warranty repair is needed. The replacement parts are expensive and shipping of this heavy unit will be very expensive.

You have to ship it back for repairs?

Banjo-guy wrote:If there is a downside it will be when something breaks and an out of warranty repair is needed. The replacement parts are expensive and shopping of this heavy unit will be very expensive.

Can you tell us more about the warranty?

RickBeer wrote:You have to ship it back for repairs?

I can't see how the Zymatic could be fixed by the user if a pump broke or if the arm that moves and directs water to different areas of the step filter stops working or falls out of alignment.
The Zymatic is kind of a black box. I could be wrong about this and Picobrew might be able to talk you through fixing things but I doubt it.
Eventually something is going to malfunction.

The customer service is off the charts. They respond right away if you have concerns. I was having an issue (that was caused by user error ) and they got back to me in minutes.

The warranty is one year, parts and labor.

A credit card should double the warranty.

Banjo-guy wrote:I can't see how the Zymatic could be fixed by the user if a pump broke or if the arm that moves and directs water to different areas of the step filter stops working or falls out of alignment...

I would guess clogged rather than broken...and it may be a QC thing on their part, since brewing a pumpkin beer is somewhat likely for any PicoBrew user.