Ha! Helping out a competing product. That shows how much a company cares about customers. Awesome.
We were hoping they had the system running during the show ... A demo of the system, not just the Beer they make.
Tell them to jump on this forum again. They have a bunch of supporters getting ready to bail on the product, and potential customers that are being scared away because if the complete lack of communication and constantly changing timelines!
Smaller Pico, eh? Got plans for a bigger one? Full 5 gallon batches?
The more I think about it, the more 2.5 gallon batch size makes sense for these devices:
-5 gallon corny kegs are great for fermenting and closed transfer...
-but 10/15 gallon corny kegs are generally 4x as expensive
-2.5 gallons will drink faster, allowing you to brew twice as many recipes...
-which take you maybe an hour each to brew, thanks to the high level of automation.
-it's easier to shake-oxygenate a 2.5 gallon batch than a 5 gallon
-the smaller batch size reduces the necessity of yeast starters
-and if you don't want to buy 2.5 gallon serving kegs, you can just brew a duplicate batch the next day, giving you the advantage of ---the first 2.5 gallons acting as a yeast starter.
I'm buying either a brewie or picobrew as soon as I manage to sell my existing setup (3 vessel sanke kegs on gas). Being able to brew 4 recipes totally 10 gallons in less time than I currently brew a single 10 gallon recipe, and have it be more consistent to boot, is quite compelling.