Okidokie. I'll have to go and re-tune the gap in my grain mill. I'm not a fan of my mill - even when I set the gap, it doesn't really hold properly on one side. Plus it uses metric #6 bolts so I have to borrow tiny little metric wrenches from my neighbor :/
PicoBrew Zymatic
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Okidokie. I'll have to go and re-tune the gap in my grain mill. I'm not a fan of my mill - even when I set the gap, it doesn't really hold properly on one side. Plus it uses metric #6 bolts so I have to borrow tiny little metric wrenches from my neighbor :/
I was thinking corndogs but what I should have said was rice hulls.
Woof. Started an early morning brew and while upstairs with the kids came down to this: View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485695143.980459.jpg
Can batch be saved at this point? Checked the other forum and videos and couldn't find anything wrong. Do toss everything or restart. Looks like it happened during the late mash 1 to mash 2 stepView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485695246.957729.jpg.
Any tips on cleaning interior without damaging arm?View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485695267.267805.jpg
Can batch be saved at this point? Checked the other forum and videos and couldn't find anything wrong. Do toss everything or restart. Looks like it happened during the late mash 1 to mash 2 stepView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485695246.957729.jpg.
Any tips on cleaning interior without damaging arm?View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485695267.267805.jpg
It looks like you just had a lot of foaming during the mash phase to me. Was there liquid everywhere, or is everything in your keg for the most part?
If it's just foam everywhere I wouldn't worry about it too much. Clean everything up (including under the metal grate on the drip plate) and keep moving forward with your brew day.
With regards to cleaning the arm, it's pretty rigid and should be able to be gently wiped off with a cloth. Just try not to pull hard or twist it. If it moves from side to side you're still fine - the Zymatic recalibrates it at the start of every brew if I recall correctly - the only real concern would be if you managed to bend the arm somehow.
Thanks! Good amount of liquid in keg. Checked the volume and added some water. Cleaned up and finished mashing without issues. A little foamy but not crazy. Boiling now, shall see how this turns out
Looks like I lost suction towards the end. Can't wait to get used to this contraption. The water cooler days were easier in that sense. Looking forward to next batch will re tighten and triple check all connections
Also happened to me, once. Now I know to make sure my seals are tight.
Even with that batch it was still less work and cleaning than the usual
Yup. Thanks to Kevin he helped me troubleshoot. It appears my red gasket in the filter popped out. Don't get me wrong, Even the clean up was easy this time around. Little nuances but nothing a homebrew couldn't handle. Cheers
dude3516
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BlackDogBrew
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That's some crazy temp variation in your mash graph, however you still will make beer. I can imagine that it won't be one of your most shining ones though, and probably will have a lower SG than expected with temps dropping to the mid 140's at times.
Who knows, it could be your best beer ever and you will never be able to replicate it again!
Back from San Diego (the beer is so good there!!) and both my Z brews are in good shape! Hoping to try one this weekend and perhaps do a brew day as well!
On my first two brews I have efficiency issues larger than I expected. Going to adjust my crush, but what are folks' thoughts on mash channeling with this machine? Seems like that might be part of the issue? Wondering if a modification to the step filter that distributed the wort over a wider area might help? Thoughts??
Cheers!
On my first two brews I have efficiency issues larger than I expected. Going to adjust my crush, but what are folks' thoughts on mash channeling with this machine? Seems like that might be part of the issue? Wondering if a modification to the step filter that distributed the wort over a wider area might help? Thoughts??
Cheers!
That is a GREAT question! I emailed the Pico folks about this. The manual is not very good and they have a LOT of information, but it is all over the place. There are some very good videos by Annie, there are forum posts (both here and on their forum), and they have some really knowledgeable folks who answer emails. I think there is need for a central repository for all the information about the Z so users do not have to hunt down the information. For instance, what gap should you use for your crush? I have read posts that state "make it BIAB flour"! However the Pico folks told me the opposite! Someone needs to collect all the goodness and put it in one place for all to use. Cheers!
If it is working properly the recirc wort is being deposited onto a layer of water above the grains. My primary brewing rig does just the same. Channeling shouldn't be an issue. On the other hand, if there is no layer of water above the grains, channeling is likely. The solution there would be to fix whatever is causing the insufficient flow.
You mention adjusting your crush to improve efficiency. I hope that you don't intend to go to a finer crush. For the mash to flow through the grainbed rather than just running out the bypass, you need a fairly coarse crush - I use .045". Much finer, and the wort is just running in and back out on top without involving the grains at all. That would lead to poor efficiency, indeed!
Nope. To be fair though, it's kind of nice being able to ferment in the keg. I just bought a second dip tube, cut that one, and saved the original in case I wanted to return the keg to service as a serving keg.
Yes, you do, to avoid recirculating trub that can clog things. First hand experience!
I was planning to go to 0.045 from my current 0.038 based on advice from the Pico help desk (use 0.042 - 0.048). Thanks for checking though!
I was planning to go to 0.045 from my current 0.038 based on advice from the Pico help desk (use 0.042 - 0.048). Thanks for checking though!
I just made the just squeezed recipe and used about .45 on my cereal killer mill. I came in at an OG of 1.069. Recipe calls for 1.067. It is an 8+ pound recipe and the system did not have any issues. No overflow, dry spots or apparent channeling.
Hope that data point helps.
OK, I am re-brewing my ZD clone with grains crushed with a 0.045" gap to see what it does to my efficiency and to see if I can get closer to the predicted OG. I will post later to let you know the results.
Also, I noticed that they have changed the Zymatic keg from earlier versions. Annie's videos all say use a 22MM wrench, but mine has 11/16th" connections. Heads up to anyone who is new to kegging and is running out to buy a wrench or socket...use an adjustable (Craftsman) with markings to get the size before you go buy a dedicated wrench. Probably should buy several size if you are using used ball locks...common sizes are 11/16, 13/16, and 22 mm.
Also, I noticed that they have changed the Zymatic keg from earlier versions. Annie's videos all say use a 22MM wrench, but mine has 11/16th" connections. Heads up to anyone who is new to kegging and is running out to buy a wrench or socket...use an adjustable (Craftsman) with markings to get the size before you go buy a dedicated wrench. Probably should buy several size if you are using used ball locks...common sizes are 11/16, 13/16, and 22 mm.
Testing the new "Delayed Start Function" for the Zymatic.
Should be ready to chill when I get home.
Should be ready to chill when I get home.
I am pleased to note that firmware development continues!
It also looks like they made a few changes to the recipe editor - but admittedly I can't tell what they are beyond some kind of AJAX autocompletion thing with grain/hops.
Added Search Function for Grains/hops (selecting from the drop down does not always work if it is not at top of list)
Water Amendments section has been added (looks still under development)
when you select a Grain or Hop that selection gets "locked" and you have to click the red X to remove the line (not a fan of this)
I still see that when adding Belgium Candi Syrup the water requirements increase- this never made sense to me as it is already a liquid.
But I am glad to see they are working on it.
Water Amendments section has been added (looks still under development)
when you select a Grain or Hop that selection gets "locked" and you have to click the red X to remove the line (not a fan of this)
I still see that when adding Belgium Candi Syrup the water requirements increase- this never made sense to me as it is already a liquid.
But I am glad to see they are working on it.
Damn - 15 min into the boil and The Web page says nothing brewing....
Lost internet....its not doing anything just asking for wi-fi....I guess I'll need to run the boil when I get home.
Powered the Z Off and On and it picked back up where it had died.
Well my Super Bowl brew day did not go as planned! First thing I did was select the recipe. Odd thing was that it did not give me the option to go into the Advanced Editor to verify the setup. Oh well, what could go wrong I say? Kick off the brew and went upstairs to make the dip and hot wings for the family to eat during the game...lost track of time and finally picked up my phone to check on the brew...it was doing a short Alpha rest. Oh crap!! I remembered that my last brew had errored out and I had gone in and truncated the brew to finish off where it stopped which was after Beta rest which was the majority of my mash period. Doh Doh Doh!! So I caught it after the mash hit 163 or so and enzymes were turning off left and right. Powered off the machine, reset the editor to do more than a 10 minute mash, and hoped that I had not denatured all the enzymes. So much for testing to see if the crush made a difference.
So things go well for a while, Falcons are playing great ball, food is tasty and the beverages aren't half bad either. Time to take a gravity reading before the boil. Now I bought a hundred syringes off Amazon and decided to use one of them instead of the "used" one from Pico. I noted that the new ones allow the plunger to come out, which I thought was much better because I could clean and dry them better, right? Right? Wrong! I screwed that puppy in, and the pump pushed the plunger right out and wort started squirting out the machine. I was NOT happy! Quickly unscrewed the body from the machine and spent 5 minutes cursing and cleaning up sticky wort.
All went well, Patriots started their comeback ( I was kinda pulling for Ryan and the Falcons, but I do respect Brady's abilities...) finished up the food, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and went down to attach the chiller. About 30 seconds in, one of the hoses blew off the chiller and I had another mess to cleanup.
At that point, I gave up on the whirlpool, gave up on the chilling, and like the Falcon's defense, I let the machine beat me. Cleaned up my mess, put the sealed keg in a bucket of water in the garage, cleaned the grains and hops from the machine, and did a deep clean and rinse. Tomorrow is another day, and I will redo this experiment again, having learned 3 new lessons. Man, I love brewing!!
Cheers!
So things go well for a while, Falcons are playing great ball, food is tasty and the beverages aren't half bad either. Time to take a gravity reading before the boil. Now I bought a hundred syringes off Amazon and decided to use one of them instead of the "used" one from Pico. I noted that the new ones allow the plunger to come out, which I thought was much better because I could clean and dry them better, right? Right? Wrong! I screwed that puppy in, and the pump pushed the plunger right out and wort started squirting out the machine. I was NOT happy!
Quickly unscrewed the body from the machine and spent 5 minutes cursing and cleaning up sticky wort.All went well, Patriots started their comeback ( I was kinda pulling for Ryan and the Falcons, but I do respect Brady's abilities...) finished up the food, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and went down to attach the chiller. About 30 seconds in, one of the hoses blew off the chiller and I had another mess to cleanup.
At that point, I gave up on the whirlpool, gave up on the chilling, and like the Falcon's defense, I let the machine beat me. Cleaned up my mess, put the sealed keg in a bucket of water in the garage, cleaned the grains and hops from the machine, and did a deep clean and rinse. Tomorrow is another day, and I will redo this experiment again, having learned 3 new lessons. Man, I love brewing!!
Cheers!
I religiously check the advanced editor and re-sync to the Z before every brew.
Early on I made a mistake and had only a 20 min boil.
Early on I made a mistake and had only a 20 min boil.
Believe me, I won't make this mistake again. The issue I had was when I clicked on this recipe (I have three online) it did not/does not show any options at the top other than Print and something else, whereas the other two had maybe 5 options, including Advanced Editor!? Not sure why that was happening. I also noticed that during the brew, the Mash Status was not always coming up in my browser (tried 3 different browsers...all had the issue). Worked great on my phone, but sporadically would not load on my PC. Odd...
I edited a previous recipe that had a 90 min boil, all I did was change the hop AA%.
Before running it today I noticed that every time I edit it it changes the Pre-hop Boil to to 90 min giving the total boil of 150min.
I think there a a few bugs to work out with the changes they have been making.
Before running it today I noticed that every time I edit it it changes the Pre-hop Boil to to 90 min giving the total boil of 150min.
I think there a a few bugs to work out with the changes they have been making.
I guess they don't test this offline on a separate system then? That is a little concerning...that said, I can't complain about them not changing things and then complain about them making changes, now can I?
I have no issue beta testing, we asked for change now we are getting change.
BurntOrngeLonghorn84
Well-Known Member
It sounds like you clicked on a recipe that had already started brewing (top section), versus a recipe that has not kicked off (bottom section)...
I would suggest simplifying your process, IMHO, your trying to do too much. I myself have the attention span of a gnat and so work very hard to keep it as simple as possible.
I'm...not exactly enthused, knowing now that I need to check the advanced editor for every recipe. I used to be a software test engineer and this kinda stuff is pretty basic to QA for. On the other hand, The Zymatic is still better than doing everything manually.
Well my Super Bowl brew day did not go as planned!
...
Time to take a gravity reading before the boil. Now I bought a hundred syringes off Amazon and decided to use one of them instead of the "used" one from Pico. I noted that the new ones allow the plunger to come out, which I thought was much better because I could clean and dry them better, right? Right? Wrong! I screwed that puppy in, and the pump pushed the plunger right out and wort started squirting out the machine. I was NOT happy!
So I bought probably the same thing from Amazon, and the first time I had any issue was last night as well. Normally, I screw in the syringe and have to pull the plunger to get wort to flow. This time, it shot into the syringe. I was able to unscrew it quickly, but it turned out grain had managed to work it's way into the liquid return line and was clogging up the "gas" quick disconnect. I unscrewed the top of the disconnect, washed everything out, and everything is back to normal again.
Effectively, there was a blockage in the return path to the keg which caused the pressure in that line to be higher than normal.
That is good information. Thanks again! I will disassemble everything again before the next brew day and check for such things. This is a simple machine that can be quite complex to learn. I was surprised as well because I had the same experience the other times I brewed with having to pull the plunger each time. I definitely will watch out for this and now know that it is likely a symptom of another issue I need to resolve. This is also the first time I have had a foaming issue on the top of the grain bed...wondering if that was likewise related...
You are correct. I just checked and I can get into the editor now.
I like the KISS policy, but the engineer in me cannot stop tinkering. I will get bored with it eventually, but I have this new toy and want to see what I can do with it. Good advice, though...
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