Finally got my first Z brew in today... somehow I screwed up the boil time in the recipe creator and ended up with only a 20 minute boil... I only had 20 minute and 2 minute hop additions, so that part should be fine. I did have a mix of pilsner and MO in the grist though, so who knows whether I'll end up with a cooked corn bomb or not.
Brulosophy.com has done several DMS focused experiments that would suggest you don't have much to worry about on that front.
Just wanted to circle back after my first pour on the Z. The Pico Pale ale came out pretty nice! A little sweeter and slightly higher Abv than expected, but overall is nicely balanced and smooth.
Wanted to also confirm, the keg provided by the Z does in fact have a shorter stem post on the out, which was nice for the transfer to serving!
And rather than buying several picobrew fermentation tops, I decided to make my own by adding a bubbler to a gas ball lock. I prefer keeping the wort nice, clean and locked up.
Also wanted to see if anyone has used a carb stone? I used one on mine, but still took me a couple of days to carb at 11psi. Just curious to see if anyone had a similar experience or can offer advice on dialing in carbonation.
Lastly, has anyone played with gelatin in their smaller batches? Curious to hear your experience with using it in a smaller 2.5 gal batch.
Next up we have 2 Freshed Squeezed batches. One is baseline and one is dry hopped with citra and mosaic and maybe gelatin for comparison's sake. Super excited!
I use gelatin in my smaller batches, although I rarely brew less than 3 gallons on the Z and usually 3.5. I always use a 1/2 tsp of gelatin in a 1/4 of water, whether it's a 5 gallon batch or smaller. Works well.
There is a thread that I started somewhere here (I haven't been updating it it) where I have some lessons learned in it. The first few pages might be worth a read for an early user.
Its like I pointed out on the Pico forum - there is no more money to be made from the Z users after they've sold the system. The fact that we're getting the short end of the stick doesn't surprise me, from a business perspective, its just super schitty. They're focusing on rolling out revenue generators, like the new Free Style Pico Pak crafter where they will sell you 4.5lbs of grain and 1.7oz of hops and a packet of US-05 for an IPA for $28, or 5.87lbs of grain and 1.1oz of hops and a packet of US-05 for $29!
I doubt they'll see a drop off on Z sales, especially with Denny & his podcast as a sales platform - but they clearly have no interest in supporting it. Sounds like their once great CS is even start to taper.
Does your keg come with a cut dip tube? Mine didn't, but I've had the Z for a while now.
Baja Brewer do you own a Zymatic or a Pico? If so what specifically have they done to make you post nothing but negative comments. The machine works, the editor needs some work but still does the job, the support from the company has been outstanding from my experience. If your emails to them are like your posts here I am not surprised you don't get the answers you want.
Just FYI Brewie is made in Europe with no immediate plans for US distribution or service centers, what kind of hardware support do you think they'll offer to US customers?
Ok folks, more proof that you can use against the nay-sayers who claim Zymatic cannot brew a good beer. I know this is not the first instance, and it will certainly not be the last, but that doesn't make me any less proud of my Z, and the support from the PB team getting to this level.
Very honored to have won an award for one of my beers at the prestigious Peach State Brew Off yesterday. Not just an award but a gold medal no less, for Ealing Common, a Kentucky Common based on a historical recipe.
Ok folks, more proof that you can use against the nay-sayers who claim Zymatic cannot brew a good beer. I know this is not the first instance, and it will certainly not be the last, but that doesn't make me any less proud of my Z, and the support from the PB team getting to this level.
Very honored to have won an award for one of my beers at the prestigious Peach State Brew Off yesterday. Not just an award but a gold medal no less, for Ealing Common, a Kentucky Common based on a historical recipe.
Congratulations... are there any particular practices you have with the Z that are different from the usual processes?
Great stuff! Anything particularly complicated about the recipe? How many versions did you go through before you nailed it down? Historical recipes fascinate me.
Congrats! A zymatic beer also took gold in NHC with a score in the mid high 40s.
Sheesh this is a lonnnng and mostly informative thread. Is there anywhere that has a more streamlined tips and tricks from users for me to browse?
Sheesh this is a lonnnng and mostly informative thread. Is there anywhere that has a more streamlined tips and tricks from users for me to browse?
Hopefully going to move ahead shortly with grabbing a Z after symbolic approval plus selling my ebiab setup. If anyone has a coupon code that may work please let me know. I'm looking at used mostly but a good coupon might send me to the new side of a purchase.
Is anyone else having issues with their yield totals? On my first 2 batches I've noticed significant losses to my output; on the order of 1/2 gal+. I assume this probably has to do with poor efficiency, but was curious to hear if others have experienced similar results. I expected some loss with FG testing, racking, etc, but didn't expect such a high percentage loss! May start producing recipes for 3gal yields to expect an actual 2.5gal batch.
Anyone experienced similar?
As far as efficiency goes when I put my recipe into Brewers Friend 72% Brewhouse Efficiency tends to match up with the Recipe Crafter and my OG/FG readings. But there have been a few batches where I don't get great circulation and my OG will be a tad low 1.058 vs. the recipe estimate of 1.060
This is all good info... I'll have to try a mash out on an upcoming batch, just to see what affect that has alone. I don't yet understand why a rest at 100 (HE mash) or 120 (stonebrewer) would affect efficiency for an all-barley batch, but you can't argue with the numbers!
Is anyone else having issues with their yield totals? On my first 2 batches I've noticed significant losses to my output; on the order of 1/2 gal+. I assume this probably has to do with poor efficiency, but was curious to hear if others have experienced similar results. I expected some loss with FG testing, racking, etc, but didn't expect such a high percentage loss! May start producing recipes for 3gal yields to expect an actual 2.5gal batch.
Anyone experienced similar?
Yup, if I have a "complaint" it is that my yields are often lower than expected. So I always put 3 gallons in the Recipe Crafter, usually end up with six bottles and a 2 1/2 gallon keg that is between 75 and 90% full
I think I read you also have a BrewPi. Are you willing to share some information about it? I'm thinking about one, but I have no experience with Arduino. You can send me a PM as not to muck up your winning thread.
My last two brews were 64.1% and 65% measured efficiency and I hit the numbers spot on with what Beersmith calculated. I use the Advanced Editor and dough in at 120 for 20 minutes and mash for 60 at my desired mash temp and then mash out and boil. I have also done a three step mash for well over 90 minutes and hit 65% measured. I am getting just north of 3 gallons per batch, which is perfect for me. If I really like the batch, I can re-brew in time for that keg to kick! What helped me was setting my mill gap to 0.045-0.048 and using the two/three step mash.
A mash out usually does raise efficiency but from what I recall, it's usually because of the wort being 'thinner' and easier to drain, so you extract more of the sugars that may normally be left in the grain. That and I'm sure you may pick up some points on the way to the mash out as the alpha amylase goes into overdrive.
Have you experienced any negative affect on foam by using that long and low a dough in?
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