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Okay this seems too good to be true. Pico is offering thier Super Early Bird Adopters from the kickstarter the followinng upgrade for $100:

Upgrade from Pico C to Pico S
CO2 Carb kit and extra PicoPak included.

In addition all accesories you ordered will be upgraded to ball lock kegs including:
Pico Ferm (one free for being an Super Early Bird)
Kegs (which during the kickstarter were 2 for $100) will be ball lock.
Pico Still will be ball lock compatible (if you ordered it.

Plus you get all the Super Early Bird Stretch goals....
3 Picopaks
1 Pico Ferm (compatible with ball lock)

IMHO the upgrade seems like a no brainer....your thoughts?

So for $849 plus shiping I get:
1) Pico S
2) CO2 Kit
3) 3 Picoferms
4) Total of 5 ball lock kegs
5) PicoStill
6) 4 Pico Paks

If I add a Brew Unlimited (2 or 12 month) I get another ball lock keg!
 
Seems like a no brainer to me. I would do it in a heart beat.
 
On the Picorewers Facebook page, someone just posted an email from Picobrew saying they would be offering this deal to all kiskstarter supporters, they were just moving through the groups one at time to prevent overloading the system
 
From a PicoBrew Update on the PicoBrewers website. (with respect to the Pico C to Pico S Upgrade Offer).

"UPDATE: These are selling like hot cakes and we may not have enough to go around. We will continue moving down the list of tiers until we can no longer offer this promotion"
 
Hi there; long time lurker first time poster.

So I recently purchased a Pico S and it's awesome. I even just ordered my first Freestyle Pico Pak, and was hoping to make a California Common like Anchor Steam but found the hops selection lacking. I was wondering if anyone has "hacked" these Paks, specifically the hops packet. It seems the main pack would be hard to mess with, and indeed one shouldn't ( the grain will get into the step filer and clog up the machine; already had this happen with a damaged Pak and to their credit they replaced it right away), but the hops might be a different story. Anyone tried this successfully?

FYI a Common Beer is supposed to have two-row malts and maybe a small amount of crystal and vienna, and for hops it's supposed to be Northern Brewer or Cluster, but given the limited hops selection I put in Simcoe. Oh and I guess I will need another yeast.....

Anyway I know this all goes counter the whole point of the Pico, but still, trying to learn.
 
lukeday99 said:
Hi there; long time lurker first time poster.

So I recently purchased a Pico S and it's awesome. I even just ordered my first Freestyle Pico Pak, and was hoping to make a California Common like Anchor Steam but found the hops selection lacking. I was wondering if anyone has "hacked" these Paks, specifically the hops packet. It seems the main pack would be hard to mess with, and indeed one shouldn't ( the grain will get into the step filer and clog up the machine; already had this happen with a damaged Pak and to their credit they replaced it right away), but the hops might be a different story. Anyone tried this successfully?

FYI a Common Beer is supposed to have two-row malts and maybe a small amount of crystal and vienna, and for hops it's supposed to be Northern Brewer or Cluster, but given the limited hops selection I put in Simcoe. Oh and I guess I will need another yeast.....

Anyway I know this all goes counter the whole point of the Pico, but still, trying to learn.
Click to expand...


The problem would be the filter paper the hops are packaged in. Just like the grain, you don't want any hop material to escape and clog the hop pack or step filter. If I were to try hacking it I would simply put the hops in a hop bag and hang it in the keg.
 
True, that would be a concern. However I believe the work-flow through the machine (Pico seems very tight lipped about how this works) is that the different areas of the hop packet are activated at different points (first bittering, then flavor, then aroma). Just hanging a bag would make it a single hops addition over which one has no control.
 
what are the rest of you getting as shipping times on the packs. I placed an order on the third figuring they would ship on Monday the 5th. It didn't ship until Tuesday afternoon on the 6th and won't arrive via UPS until the 13th. Wonder if I can get them to ship via the post office Priority Mail (2 day) which might only be a little more expensive then UPS ground. I don't have a current pack so I will have to wait until I get one of these to take it into the post office and see what the shipping would be.

I signed up for the $500 deal on the kickstarter and with this type of shipping times I am going to be without beer. I brewed a pack on the 3rd and placed the order just to see what the real time was going to be. I guess living this far east is the problem.
 
lukeday99 said:
True, that would be a concern. However I believe the work-flow through the machine (Pico seems very tight lipped about how this works) is that the different areas of the hop packet are activated at different points (first bittering, then flavor, then aroma). Just hanging a bag would make it a single hops addition over which one has no control.
Click to expand...
I'm in the same situation as you...I find the Pico too limiting. For me it's not just ingredient selection, but the size as well. 1.25 gallons sounds like a lot...until you're drinking it.
Anyways, I'm now investing in some quality BIAB equipment with the intention of brewing batches between 2-5 gallons. You should definitely look into BIAB!
 
I intend to brew two packs in a session (one after the other) and get 2.5 gallons of beer per session.

Over the last 30 years, I have done everything from cooler based mashing to BIAB. Probably 4 different setups. Really enjoyed them all. But ready to simplify...
 
Please do not mistake my intent; the Pico is 100% an amazing machine and does make very good wort, a sentiment which has been echoed many times here. It is also very reproducible, a difficulty in homebrewing. But also it is a limited machine, especially when it comes to one of the joys of homebrewing, which is coming up with your own version of a beer. In this case I wanna expand the available hops I could put into a recipe but just wondering if anyone has fiddled with the Paks to make this happen?
 
No as you've said not much you can do. The Pico is intended and marketed as brewing a breweries packs. It's great at what it's intended for. If you want more control you need a zymatic or other traditional way of brewing. Don't expect them to expand freestyle a whole lot more, as they have brewery partners to keep happy. They are slowly expanding it so there will be more options down the line but not to the degree some seem to expect.

UPS is their only shipping option and that isn't changing. The farther you live from the west coast the longer it takes. I get packs in 5 days in Texas. Not a problem as long as your expectations are in line and plan ahead.
 
I'm in the Boston area and was getting about a week from order date to delivery which is fine for me. My last order didn't ship for three weeks, four weeks total to receive. I'm also backing the year unlimited option and voiced my concern regarding this, especially considering the volume of new users coming on board. My first answer was that one of the packs I ordered was out of stock. When I asked why it wasn't listed as such as I would have just ordered something different I was then told that it actually was in stock but there was an issue with their assembly line equipment. I never heard anyone else mention a shipping delay during this time. They said not to worry about it and that if it happens during the unlimited period they will make it right.
I'm hoping the unlimited starts soon and all goes smoothly.
 
mwills said:
I'm in the Boston area and was getting about a week from order date to delivery which is fine for me. My last order didn't ship for three weeks, four weeks total to receive. I'm also backing the year unlimited option and voiced my concern regarding this, especially considering the volume of new users coming on board. My first answer was that one of the packs I ordered was out of stock. When I asked why it wasn't listed as such as I would have just ordered something different I was then told that it actually was in stock but there was an issue with their assembly line equipment. I never heard anyone else mention a shipping delay during this time. They said not to worry about it and that if it happens during the unlimited period they will make it right.
I'm hoping the unlimited starts soon and all goes smoothly.
Click to expand...

In terms of making things right, I have to give them credit for that. Every time I brought questions or concerns, they were answered, as well as my machine. It was broken upon reception and they swapped it immediately. The folks at care do care.

I share my concern on the shipping times and availability of packs. Being popular is a must, if we want this to survive.
 
brew-in said:
Combo of Pico C and Pico S Kegs - Big screw off lid and ball lock connectors...check out the kegs Igulu plans to use...if it ever makes it to a product...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/igulu-smart-automated-craft-beer-home-brewery--4/x/16249986#/
Click to expand...

Nice concept. PicoBrew has a much better track record though. I will believe iGulu and the other Brewie (I can't stop thinking of Family Man with that name) and MiniBrew, when I actually see them selling and being used. They all have something nice in their concepts. But I got burnt too many times by crown funding, that now I will back projects from proven companies.

iGluglu seems halfway between the Z and the S. It's a bit big for the counter, no?
 
Concur completely. Igulu is, IMHO, at best a 50/50 shot of delivering.

some positives:
1) They did raise $1.1M
2) They appear to have a motivated/talented team
3) They are China based so they can more easily work with the suppliers.
Some negatives:
1) The team is young and inexperienced
2) It is a pretty complex machine. They are taking it a few steps farther than Zymatic. Igulu will cool the wort and then maintain ferm temp.

They do have 3000 main control boards in hand and going through QA. So maybe they are making progress..... the question is will the cash hold out and will it be enuff to deliver the almost 3000 units to backers.

If they can pull it off, it will be great. They did win the Innovation Award at CES in 2017. Same award Pico won in 2016. So that is a positive.
 
So per my earlier thread I went ahead and hacked the hop packet. I pulled it open, pulled out the hops which came with the Freestyle pal (I'll save ten for later) and replaced with Northern Brewer for my California Common clone; I put equal amounts of flavoring and buttering hops into little sachets. I then glue gunned it closed and put a layer of staples in, for redundancy. See attached photos; I'll let you all know how it went.

IMG_0997.jpg
 
Not sure if you care, but I know Picobrew went through months of testing different food safe high temp adhesives for the packs. Good luck.
 
jrb03 said:
Not sure if you care, but I know Picobrew went through months of testing different food safe high temp adhesives for the packs. Good luck.
Click to expand...

How do all of you come up with all of this information on these companies? Do you follow their social media or their blogs or have a cousin who works at the company or have a little camera in their boardroom or...?
 
All of the above :D

They detailed all the production steps and milestones during campaign updates of the original Pico kickstarter which i was an early backer and followed closely.
 
I'm completely new to brewing. I got the offer to upgrade my Pico C kickstarter pledge to the Pico S for $100 more. I'm not familiar enough with all of this to make the decision myself. Do you guys recommend the upgrade?
 
DaMaDo said:
I'm completely new to brewing. I got the offer to upgrade my Pico C kickstarter pledge to the Pico S for $100 more. I'm not familiar enough with all of this to make the decision myself. Do you guys recommend the upgrade?
Click to expand...

I would say,others may disagree, that the main differences are first how do you plan to carbonate and dispense your beer. Many homebrewers myself includes already have equipment that works with the ball lock kegs like the Pico S. You can carbonate and dispense from a refillable co2 vessels rather than buying disposable small cartridges. When I backed the pico C I was planning on moving to ball lock kegs for serving.

The pico C kegs offer the advantage of being easily cleanable. Ball lock kegs are much more difficult too clean. Putting the pico c kegs in the dishwasher makes it so much easier to clean. You find brewing requires much cleaning :)

I am also impatient and upgrading to the S will get me making beer quicker but that has nothing to do with your post :)
 
I like the idea of the ball lock for serving, but also like the easy cleaning of the C version...Hmm, maybe I should upgrade and get one of the easy clean kegs when they are available.
 
DrSafety said:
I would say,others may disagree, that the main differences are first how do you plan to carbonate and dispense your beer. Many homebrewers myself includes already have equipment that works with the ball lock kegs like the Pico S. You can carbonate and dispense from a refillable co2 vessels rather than buying disposable small cartridges. When I backed the pico C I was planning on moving to ball lock kegs for serving.

The pico C kegs offer the advantage of being easily cleanable. Ball lock kegs are much more difficult too clean. Putting the pico c kegs in the dishwasher makes it so much easier to clean. You find brewing requires much cleaning :)

I am also impatient and upgrading to the S will get me making beer quicker but that has nothing to do with your post :)
Click to expand...


DaMaDo said:
I like the idea of the ball lock for serving, but also like the easy cleaning of the C version...Hmm, maybe I should upgrade and get one of the easy clean kegs when they are available.
Click to expand...

I agree with both of these. Upgrading would be a no brainer for me. The 5L serving keg sucks and you will be looking to upgrade to ball lock for serving soon. Cleaning kegs is kind of a pain, but I find the Pico 1.75 gallon ball lock easy to clean since it's small and can clean it in sink.
 
I just tapped my Freestyle of a chocolate stout. Very good nice chocolate and coffee flavors, not too much hops. I wanted to share the recipe. anyone know how?
 
DaMaDo said:
I like the idea of the ball lock for serving, but also like the easy cleaning of the C version...Hmm, maybe I should upgrade and get one of the easy clean kegs when they are available.
Click to expand...

Honestly, the regular corney Ball lock kegs are easy to clean also. The opening is more than wide enough to get in and scrub, and I suspect dishwasher would do a good job too.

I never use dishwasher because I pretty much always clean just in time to use as a new brew keg or new dispense keg.
 
Man, I just can't get over the edges of the grain bed being dry. After brewing I've opened every picopack and noticed the same thing. I'm thinking about making a little sparging arm of sorts to help spread out the water from the center nozzel. Any ideas?
 
BrewVegas said:
Man, I just can't get over the edges of the grain bed being dry. After brewing I've opened every picopack and noticed the same thing. I'm thinking about making a little sparging arm of sorts to help spread out the water from the center nozzel. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

lol don't worry about it. It's designed that way.
 
DaMaDo said:
I like the idea of the ball lock for serving, but also like the easy cleaning of the C version...Hmm, maybe I should upgrade and get one of the easy clean kegs when they are available.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong (it's happened many times) but it's my understanding that the "easy clean" or Pico C kegs are not compatible with the Pico S and vice-versa. The S kegs are ball lock models (basically mini corny kegs) and the C kegs are something totally different. I only mention this because the way I read it is the Pico C brewing keg is not designed for serving.
 
I'm so happy! I just got notified yesterday that my Pico S that I got for the $100 upgrade is on it's way. Of course, "on it's way" doesn't mean it's actually shipped yet. But hopefully I'll get it this week. Between this and my Grainfather system, my liver doesn't stand a chance.
 
BrewVegas said:
Man, I just can't get over the edges of the grain bed being dry. After brewing I've opened every picopack and noticed the same thing. I'm thinking about making a little sparging arm of sorts to help spread out the water from the center nozzel. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I've noticed this as well, but I dont bother worrying about it. As long as OG is where it's supposed to be, it shouldn't be a problem.
 

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