Pico C Unpak’d

[alestateyall]

Does anyone know anything about the Picobrew Unpak’d System? There isn’t very much information provided.

What gravity can I achieve?

Can I use pellet hops? The picture shows whole hops.

Is it set it and forget it like other Picobrew systems?

How long do the Unpak’d bags last? Indefinitely? One brew? Something in between?

Any other useful tidbits?

This is new feature to let you use your own ingredients. It’s $329 for 1.3G batches. Inexpensive way to try out picobrewing.

https://picobrew.com/Store/products/picoC.cshtml

 

[alestateyall]

There is now a user manual on the Pico brew website.

https://picobrewcontent.blob.core.windows.net/content/picoc/PicoC_ManualBrew.pdf

This is a very manual process. I think this is geared for someone who has a Pico C and wants to brew with their own ingredients. It is not for home brewers with existing systems who want a small batch Pico Z (fully automated brewer).

In a nutshell, you place the grain bag in the step filter and manually mash. Then you stop the system and drain the bag and pour the wort into the kettle (or filter I can’t remember which). Then you bring to boil and stop the system to add hops to the step filter at each time step.

 

[jimdkc]

Has anyone found the "PicoBrew Pico Manual Brew Crafter (BETA)". I can only find the next-to-useless Freestyle Brew Crafter for building your own Freestyle PicoPaks. It does not generate the Manual Brew steps as described in the Manual Brew Quickstart Guide.

 

[bford]

I'm glad they finally moved this direction. At the current price of 329 I'm pretty sure I'm going to go ahead and give one a try.

Hopefully they put out some training videos or something to go along with the new features.

 

[jimdkc]

Found out today that you have to have a registered PicoBrew machine to use the recipe crafter.

I'm out of luck since I bought my Pico S used and cannot contact the original owner. PicoBrew customer support can't contact them either. I can't register it unless the original owner verifies the sale...

I don't think you get the "use your own ingredients" firmware unless it's registered, either.

I'm pretty sure I can still use it with PicoPaks (5L recipes at a 5 gallon price!)

HEAVY SIGH....

 

[Pkrd]

Gangs of Pico rustlers are a thing? Who knew?

 

[deckerchevy]

Found out today that you have to have a registered PicoBrew machine to use the recipe crafter.

I'm out of luck since I bought my Pico S used and cannot contact the original owner. PicoBrew customer support can't contact them either. I can't register it unless the original owner verifies the sale...

I don't think you get the "use your own ingredients" firmware unless it's registered, either.

I'm pretty sure I can still use it with PicoPaks (5L recipes at a 5 gallon price!)

HEAVY SIGH....

You really don't need the creator. You can use Beersmith and I highly recommend it anyways. Everything is manual so not creating the recipe in their creator doesn't stop you. You literally tell the Pico C what temp and how long for every step. Its truly manual so the recipe creation can be done on any software. Just need to set your volumes appropriately. I know there are a few profiles for Beersmith out there.

 

[bford]

You really don't need the creator. You can use Beersmith and I highly recommend it anyways. Everything is manual so not creating the recipe in their creator doesn't stop you. You literally tell the Pico C what temp and how long for every step. Its truly manual so the recipe creation can be done on any software. Just need to set your volumes appropriately. I know there are a few profiles for Beersmith out there.

Keep us up to date if you find out anything about the grain absorption...etc. The joy of having something like this is how it should help with consistency once it is dialed in right.

 

[deckerchevy]

I got a response that 4lbs of grain and 1lb of sugar is max for the Unpak'd version. I am not really sure why that is due to the fact that you can buy a PicoPak that has upwards of 8 or 9lbs of grain in it. The only thing I can think of is because that container that the paks come in has holes at the top so the full volume is forced through the grain. I would be interested in finding a reusable one that is not the mesh bag to recreate that.

 

[bford]

Hmm... so what is the max ABV going to be...

 

[deckerchevy]

I am guessing around 7-9% depending on what grain/yeast you use.

 

[jimdkc]

You really don't need the creator. You can use Beersmith and I highly recommend it anyways. Everything is manual so not creating the recipe in their creator doesn't stop you. You literally tell the Pico C what temp and how long for every step. Its truly manual so the recipe creation can be done on any software. Just need to set your volumes appropriately. I know there are a few profiles for Beersmith out there.

Unless your Pico is registered, you don't get the firmware update that enables manual operation...

 

[deckerchevy]

Yes but the question was where is the recipecrafter and I was just simply stating you don't need that crafter specifically. You can use any recipe creator to make your recipe. That is different than enabling the function in the machine. However I have found out after my first brew that you aren't allowed to use as much grain as you can in a pico pak for some reason with the manual mode and I haven't been able to get a straight answer as to why from Picobrew.

 

[jimdkc]

Doesn't really matter how I can craft the recipes if I can't access the manual brew functions.

I bought a couple of PicoPaks, just to try this thing out, but I really think I'm going to give up on Pico. I'm seriously looking at the smaller Anvil Foundry system for my small batch brewing needs. It looks more versatile and it's pretty inexpensive for what you get.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/product-p/anv-foundry-6.5.htm

I'll either sell the Pico (with a warning that it can't be registered...) or turn it into a project of some sort!

 

[deckerchevy]

Why can't it be registered again? If you physically have it can't you call PicoBrew and have them register it for you? BTW I wish I would have known about that Anvil.....that would have been much better honestly. After one brew I am not happy with the Pico. My small batches I should have kept my grainfather....oh well! I was hoping that this was going to allow for fully automated small batch brewing. Being that you have to stop the brew each step takes away from the reason I bought it. I am still in my 15 day window so I may return it...

 

[jimdkc]

Yeah... I've been over this multiple times with PicoBrew!

I bought it on Ebay (for a song!). The Ebay seller apparently didn't know much about it. They probably bought it at a garage sale or auction or similar.

I tried to register it at PicoBrew.com, and it said that this machine was already registered to someone else. I contacted their support, and they said it can't be re-registered unless they can confirm that the original registered owner legitimately sold or otherwise disposed of it. They tried to contact the original owner, but got no response.

I don't know if the machine was sold, set out on a curb, junked, abandoned and sold at a storage auction, or if the original owner died. It could even be stolen (I don't think so, though...) Bottom line, I can run it, it connects to my WiFi, and I even upgraded the firmware... but not to the new "magic" firmware that unlocks manual use. I'll find out this weekend if it works with PicoPaks... but those are pretty pricey for continued use!

It might make a good planter!

or Aquarium!

I could probably still Sous Vide with it...

 

[bford]

Yeah... I've been over this multiple times with PicoBrew!

I bought it on Ebay (for a song!). The Ebay seller apparently didn't know much about it. They probably bought it at a garage sale or auction or similar.

I tried to register it at PicoBrew.com, and it said that this machine was already registered to someone else. I contacted their support, and they said it can't be re-registered unless they can confirm that the original registered owner legitimately sold or otherwise disposed of it. They tried to contact the original owner, but got no response.

I don't know if the machine was sold, set out on a curb, junked, abandoned and sold at a storage auction, or if the original owner died. It could even be stolen (I don't think so, though...) Bottom line, I can run it, it connects to my WiFi, and I even upgraded the firmware... but not to the new "magic" firmware that unlocks manual use. I'll find out this weekend if it works with PicoPaks... but those are pretty pricey for continued use!

It might make a good planter!

or Aquarium!

I could probably still Sous Vide with it...

If it only Sous Vides then it might still be worth keeping around. I love cooking with that technique!

 

[bford]

I am guessing around 7-9% depending on what grain/yeast you use.

Most of my brews come in between 4 and 7 percent so that should be ok for me. It would be nice if they could get it up to its full capabilities for a double IPA or bigger porters or stouts.

 

[jimdkc]

If it only Sous Vides then it might still be worth keeping around. I love cooking with that technique!

Sous Vide is great! But, I already have 2... I'll probably still try it. It might be great for that!

 

[bford]

Sous Vide is great! But, I already have 2... I'll probably still try it. It might be great for that!

I still hope they can figure out a way for you to use it.

Seems they could register it to you with the rule that if the original owner contacts them and says it was stolen you might lose your registration... not perfect, but the chances of the first owner getting in contact with them would seem very small at this point.

 

[chiefwigms]

Yeah... I've been over this multiple times with PicoBrew!

I bought it on Ebay (for a song!). The Ebay seller apparently didn't know much about it. They probably bought it at a garage sale or auction or similar.

I tried to register it at PicoBrew.com, and it said that this machine was already registered to someone else. I contacted their support, and they said it can't be re-registered unless they can confirm that the original registered owner legitimately sold or otherwise disposed of it. They tried to contact the original owner, but got no response.

I don't know if the machine was sold, set out on a curb, junked, abandoned and sold at a storage auction, or if the original owner died. It could even be stolen (I don't think so, though...) Bottom line, I can run it, it connects to my WiFi, and I even upgraded the firmware... but not to the new "magic" firmware that unlocks manual use. I'll find out this weekend if it works with PicoPaks... but those are pretty pricey for continued use!

It might make a good planter!

or Aquarium!

I could probably still Sous Vide with it...

What FW version does your machine say on startup?

 

[jimdkc]

What FW version does your machine say on startup?

So... When I plugged the machine just now in to check the firmware version, first thing it did once it connected to WiFi was download a NEW firmware version.

Once it updated, it reported v1.27 (pretty sure it was 1.25 before...) and I now DO have the Manual Brew menu item!!!

Woooo Hoooo!!!!!!

Guess I'll be checking online to see if I can find someone who has set up profiles in BeerSmith!

 

[TheOneAfter909]

So... When I plugged the machine just now in to check the firmware version, first thing it did once it connected to WiFi was download a NEW firmware version.

Once it updated, it reported v1.27 (pretty sure it was 1.25 before...) and I now DO have the Manual Brew menu item!!!

Woooo Hoooo!!!!!!

Guess I'll be checking online to see if I can find someone who has set up profiles in BeerSmith!

I am curious if you did find a current Beersmith Profile?

 

[jimdkc]

I honestly haven't looked very hard yet. I've seen some vague references such as "Set the batch size to 1.5 Gallons and Efficiency to 65% and you'll be pretty close...

I'm going to try brewing a couple of PicoPaks first, just to test how everything works. I have a Rogue Dead Guy Ale PicoPak and a Denny Conn Little RIPA Rye IPA PicoPak.

Chose Dead Guy because I know the beer well and I can buy the commercial version for comparison. I chose Little RIPA because Denny Conn!... and Rye! Both are awesome! Probably Dead Guy this weekend and RIPA next.

After that, I'll probably dive into trying to come up with my own recipes.

I may just experiment and see what happens if I don't find a specific profile.

 

[bford]

I honestly haven't looked very hard yet. I've seen some vague references such as "Set the batch size to 1.5 Gallons and Efficiency to 65% and you'll be pretty close...

I'm going to try brewing a couple of PicoPaks first, just to test how everything works. I have a Rogue Dead Guy Ale PicoPak and a Denny Conn Little RIPA Rye IPA PicoPak.

Chose Dead Guy because I know the beer well and I can buy the commercial version for comparison. I chose Little RIPA because Denny Conn!... and Rye! Both are awesome! Probably Dead Guy this weekend and RIPA next.

After that, I'll probably dive into trying to come up with my own recipes.

I may just experiment and see what happens if I don't find a specific profile.

Awesome news! Can't wait to see how you do with it.

 

[Lbarouf]

Doesn't really matter how I can craft the recipes if I can't access the manual brew functions.

I bought a couple of PicoPaks, just to try this thing out, but I really think I'm going to give up on Pico. I'm seriously looking at the smaller Anvil Foundry system for my small batch brewing needs. It looks more versatile and it's pretty inexpensive for what you get.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/product-p/anv-foundry-6.5.htm

I'll either sell the Pico (with a warning that it can't be registered...) or turn it into a project of some sort!

It does look good to me. The grainfather has lots of support around where I am, and SS Brew tech as well, but I was always fond of Anvil. Nice sturdy without all the fuss. The 10.5G all-in-one seems like a good option for me, paired with the 7.5G fermenters. getting 3 kegs going in a week-end would be possible again.

I'm tempted by the grainfather for the support I would get by my local brew shop (and that glycol system to help me lager!)

What did you end up doing in the end?