PicoBrew Pico users

[jrb03]

Congratulations. You are the 2nd poster attempting to insult my intelligence...while at the same time claiming that Pico Cs are presently sold on Kickstarter along with all the accessories needed. As with most forum posts and posters...they are rarely read thoroughly...nor understood for the same reason



'Again' (if you had bothered to read the OP's first post) this thread has taken on a life of its own as most often do. Admonishing me not to discuss 'distilling' in it (which I didn't) is akin to insisting that nobody claim that they invested in a Pico still (which is all that I did).

(this must be a good share of folk's favorite icon)

NOTHING is sold on kickstarter. It's not a store. You make a pledge and hope to get a reward. There is risk involved. The Pico-c nor its accessories are even past prototype stage. Your rant is insane and it's obvious you are just trolling. I AM the OP, and this thread has stayed on topic, your discussions of distilling and hacking Pico packs will not be allowed. It's obvious the Pico is not for you, move on.

 

[NervousDad]

Soo.... my Pico is finally on its way. Is there anyway to make your own packs, without going through the site? Is there a universal tray maybe 3d printed and just attach an RFID to it with the mash temp that you'd like. I kinda bought this on a whim..

 

[jrb03]

Soo.... my Pico is finally on its way. Is there anyway to make your own packs, without going through the site? Is there a universal tray maybe 3d printed and just attach an RFID to it with the mash temp that you'd like. I kinda bought this on a whim..

No.

 

[Oleary]

Brew unlimited now shows shipped on my order screen. I tried to order a couple of packs, but it's still showing full price. Anyone get an email with info? Ewelady said she received one when it went to pending but I did not.

 

[jrb03]

Brew unlimited now shows shipped on my order screen. I tried to order a couple of packs, but it's still showing full price. Anyone get an email with info? Ewelady said she received one when it went to pending but I did not.

Yes, you can activate it between now and end of year, it doesn't start until you activate.

 

[Kassad]

Will be performing my first Pico brew and someone had told me they heard that some people advised to only pitch half the amount of yeast provided. Can anyone confirm? I'll be brewing the half-squeezed IPA. Thanks in advance.

 

[jrb03]

Will be performing my first Pico brew and someone had told me they heard that some people advised to only pitch half the amount of yeast provided. Can anyone confirm? I'll be brewing the half-squeezed IPA. Thanks in advance.

Half is still too much. The yeast packets are for 5 gallon batches. For best results pitch 1/2 teaspoon of US05, and at least double the fermentation times in the manual.

 

[Ewelady]

Yes, you can activate it between now and end of year, it doesn't start until you activate.

I have the same thing... showing as shipped in my orders but no instructions on how to "activate"? Shows full prices on checkout. Seems like there should be a code issued or something.

FOUND IT! Sign in, click on your ID, in the drop down list click on Settings, then click on the third Tab, Brew Unlimited. After that the brew unlimited shows up in the basket.

 

[Ewelady]

Brew unlimited now shows shipped on my order screen. I tried to order a couple of packs, but it's still showing full price. Anyone get an email with info? Ewelady said she received one when it went to pending but I did not.

Sign in, then click on your ID then click Settings, from the drop down list.
Third tab, is brew unlimited, click on it and activate!

 

[bobbob911]

Great news! I don't see a third tab when I sign in on mobile, I wonder if it's only showing on desktop version...

 

[bobbob911]

Actually I know why - it's live only for US. I'm in Canada.

 

[Pelikan11]

Question:

What does a 'used' PicoPak look like or how much integrity is left in the packaging after a cycle?
If you lightly rinsed and didn't care about cross-contanimation..could you reuse it with your own ingredients (even once while still moist)?

If one were to guess...which brewing supply house or upstart brewery will be the first to market with
universal (reusable) Paks and/or their own "fill-your-own" vacuum packed ingredients?




This sounds like a fantastic idea and I think you should buy a PiCO and do this ASAP

 

[Ewelady]

Great news! I don't see a third tab when I sign in on mobile, I wonder if it's only showing on desktop version...

I've never signed in on mobile, but maybe it's on second line...

it should show

Account tab Equipment tab BrewUnlimited

 

[bobbob911]

Used picopaks are pretty much toast. They are swelled and soft, you would never be able to reuse them.

 

[Kassad]

My metal hops cradle does not look like the one in the videos. I attached a picture, in the Pico instructional videos the metal sides of the cradle are of different length and they seem to hold the hops package better than mine, which looks different. All the metal sides are the same length.

 

[Kassad]

Half is still too much. The yeast packets are for 5 gallon batches. For best results pitch 1/2 teaspoon of US05, and at least double the fermentation times in the manual.

Double the fermentation time even if you are fast fermenting?

Right now my wort is cooling; its been cooling for about 10 hours. The video says to cool it to room temperature, and pitch the yeast within 24 hours. So basically I wait until the brewkeg feels cool or normal to the touch?

 

[jrb03]

Yes, double it. Fast isn't any faster. You need to use the temp sticker or some way to make sure your at safe pitching temp. My hops cradle is same as yours.

 

[Kassad]

Yes, double it. Fast isn't any faster. You need to use the temp sticker or some way to make sure your at safe pitching temp. My hops cradle is same as yours.

I haven't even touched the temp sticker yet, is that what its for? You put the temp sticker on the brew keg while the wort is cooling, and it will give a wort temperature reading that will tell you when to pitch the yeast?

 

[jrb03]

You need to do some serious reading. Temp plays a big role in fermentation and you need to know the temp before pitching and during fermentation. The temp sticker will give you a temp to go by.

 

[Kassad]

You need to do some serious reading. Temp plays a big role in fermentation and you need to know the temp before pitching and during fermentation. The temp sticker will give you a temp to go by.

Yeah, I'm doing some reading...
Page 60 of the book :

After brewing, allow the Brewing Keg to cool to room
temperature, this may take up to 24 hours depending
on ambient temperature.
Stick the Fermentation Temperature Decal on the
outside of the cooled Brewing Keg. Do not stick the
Fermentation Temperature Decal on the Brewing Keg
if it is still warm.

It doesn't say to put the decal on the brew keg to determine when your wort is ready to have yeast added. It also says Do not stick the fermentation decal on the brew keg if it is still warm. Why does that matter when the decal will be on when I brew my next batch and the wort will be super hot?

I attached a pic of my decal on the brew keg. Looking at the picture it may seem that at the top end of the fast fermentation there is a blue color; it isn't near that bright, it is barely visible in person.

 

[jrb03]

Stick the sticker on and leave it, mine have been on during a lot of brew cycles. Keep reading, you need it a lot cooler to pitch the yeast, I think the Pico tells you 68' at the end of brewing. If your doing FF I assume your doing room temp which is a little warmer than 68. Get it as low as you can. Read in this thread because there is a lot of stuff the manual does poorly, like pitching too much yeast and fermenting too short.

 

[Kassad]

Stick the sticker on and leave it, mine have been on during a lot of brew cycles. Keep reading, you need it a lot cooler to pitch the yeast, I think the Pico tells you 68' at the end of brewing. If your doing FF I assume your doing room temp which is a little warmer than 68. Get it as low as you can. Read in this thread because there is a lot of stuff the manual does poorly, like pitching too much yeast and fermenting too short.

Decal looking much better now, I am in the upper part of the FF range and will be pitching the yeast in a couple hours.

Do you or anyone else rehydrate the dry yeast; if so is there a link in one of these 135 pages that provides steps/procedures?

 

[bobbob911]

No need to rehydrate the yeast.

I'm not sure why the manual says not to put the sticker on when the keg is hot, mine stays on and has been through many brew cycles with no damage.

As long as you ferment in the same room/spot every time, the sticker will give you a good idea of the ambient temperature of that room then you don't really need it anymore anyways. Cooler is better, mid-high 60's is ideal.

24hrs guarantees the wort has come down to room temp.

 

[Kassad]

Too late!, I already rehydrated the yeast. I took 1 tsp of the yeast, added it to 100 degrees of water, then let it rest for 15 minutes, then mixed it up and added it to the wort. I hope I didn't screw anything up.

 

[WWJPD]

That is probably too hot for the yeast. If you want to rehydrate, boil the water briefly to sanitize it, then cover and cool to room temp and then pitch the yeast. As others have said, I too don't think you have to rehydrate yeast for a Pico batch as the amount of wort is so small.

 

[jrb03]

Don't rehydrate the yeast. No need. 100' sure sounds too hot.

 

[Denny]

Don't rehydrate the yeast. No need. 100' sure sounds too hot.

The ROT for yeast "death temp" is 114. 100 is likely OK, but it's too close for comfort. Especially when it's not needed at all.

 

[Lbarouf]

The ROT for yeast "death temp" is 114. 100 is likely OK, but it's too close for comfort. Especially when it's not needed at all.

If he did kill the yeast, then waited for the wort to hit room or say 68 degrees, and pitched again.... would the dead yeast cause any issue?

 

[Thorrak]

If he did kill the yeast, then waited for the wort to hit room or say 68 degrees, and pitched again.... would the dead yeast cause any issue?

Highly unlikely - at least for the time periods we're talking about. Same argument as for transferring to secondary - until you're thinking in months, there's nothing really to worry about.

 

[Kassad]

So I pitched the rehydrated yeast Sunday afternoon. I was thinking to wait between 48 and 72 hours and open the brew keg seal and see what's going on. If there isn't krausen then I am planning on pitching the powdered yeast that I haven't used, or about 1 tsp. Sound like a plan, or is it a bad idea to open up the brew keg this early?

 

[Denny]

If he did kill the yeast, then waited for the wort to hit room or say 68 degrees, and pitched again.... would the dead yeast cause any issue?

Not at all.

 

[jrb03]

So I pitched the rehydrated yeast Sunday afternoon. I was thinking to wait between 48 and 72 hours and open the brew keg seal and see what's going on. If there isn't krausen then I am planning on pitching the powdered yeast that I haven't used, or about 1 tsp. Sound like a plan, or is it a bad idea to open up the brew keg this early?

If no activity after 72 hours then yes pitch a tsp. You will know if there is activity without opening it up.

 

[Kassad]

If no activity after 72 hours then yes pitch a tsp. You will know if there is activity without opening it up.

How will i know? Sounds?

 

[jrb03]

How will i know? Sounds?

If your using an airlock you will see bubbles. If your using the fast fermentation valve you might hear it if your around when it releases, or just pick up on the valve, if it releases a hiss of pressure your good.

 

[Kassad]

If your using an airlock you will see bubbles. If your using the fast fermentation valve you might hear it if your around when it releases, or just pick up on the valve, if it releases a hiss of pressure your good.

I pulled up ever so slightly on the ff valve and heard hissing. So I guess that's a good thing.

10 days of ff and then three days of dry hopping?

 

[jrb03]

Bingo. You can pull the valve up won't hurt anything

 

[Denny]

How will i know? Sounds?

Open up the fermenter and look.

 

[AMcBrews]

Just finished off my first batch - Brew Free or Die. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't Brew Free or Die either. Not enough hop flavor, tasted more like a hefeweizen (bit of a clove flavor), and it was cloudy. I've already started two new batches (Little Hoppy Thing, Kayaker Cream Ale), but I'd like to know where I may have gone astray on batch #1.
I cooled the wort slowly (12 hr), pitched 1-1/2 tsp of SA-05, Fast Fermentation plug, 63 degrees for 4 days, 70 degrees for another 9 days. Tossed in the dry hops and continued at 70 deg. for another 7 days. Cold crashed at about 35 degrees for 4 days and racked. It was cloudy when racking to the serving keg. Force carbonated at 22psi for 3 days before first tapping it. Put it back in the fridge at 12 psi for another week.
Ideas, comments, opinions?

 

[Kassad]

Are there any FreeStyle crafter posts where people discuss what they made and what ingredients they chose; or discussion on FreeStyle clones? Looking to see how close I can get to a Blue Moon or a Grimbergen Blonde.

 

[uwjester]

Bingo. You can pull the valve up won't hurt anything

I've been thinking about this a little lately. The fast fermentation theory is that fermentation can be achieved at higher temps as long as there is a certain amount of air pressure. Maybe I misunderstood that?

If I am pulling on the pressure relieve valve as a test of whether or not fermentation has ended, am I letting off enough pressure that the higher temperatures are a potential problem?

I'm not overly concerned about my temps, I'm at around 68F in my basement for now. Once I get this pilsner out of the fermentation freezer, I can go back to ale temps and really control it around 65F like I'd prefer. But I am curious about the pressure.