PicoBrew - Zymatic Recipies

(Defaulted to this on the recipes page, although it is about an automated machine?)

In the past I have heard that the Pale Ale that comes with machine is kinda...blah. Can it be saved?

What tweaks should I do to the kit to make it better, stronger, faster?

(I believe I read that is was just plain weak on hops, so in the absence of any feedback, I might just boost them with what I have on hand.)

 

It uses slightly less (in proportion) Cascade for flavor and double the amount (in proportion) of aroma Cascade as my house pale ale. Shouldn't seem tame unless compared to an IPA. My pale ale would seem tame compared to an IPA too, just as it should. I would, perhaps, bump the flavor addition from .38oz to .5oz to bring it in line with mine.

 

Didn't change a thing in the end. Followed the recipe, smelled pretty good. I did go with no-chill, so hoping that doesn't make it too bitter. However, it is the CLEAREST beer I have ever put in my carboy to ferment. That kind of amazed me.

 

Question about water volumes. How do people figure out how much water to start with? Does the machine have a volume shut off so as not to overflow the step filter? How to determine right amount for 2.5gal out of this machine?

 

Yes, wort recirculation will do that. There's no particular benefit from the clarity at that point, but it does look cool!

The unseen benefit of recirculation is that you can be pretty confident that mash temp was consistent throughout (no warm or cool regions).

I'm still waiting for my Z machine, but I have been recirculating wort in my primary system for a while and I believe in it.