PicoBrew Z - Any thoughts for a new brewer?

[NewBrewer1]

Hey All!

I'm brand new here and very new to brewing in general. I have a lot of interest, but not a ton of time. I was looking at the different machines from PicoBrew and the newly announced PicoBrew Z caught my attention. Can anyone share their thoughts on this machine in general and if they think it could be good for someone like me who is interested in brewing, the brewing process, and eventually fine tuning recipes of my own? I like how the machine is modular and can range from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons depending on the model selected (but from what I understand you can upgrade later on as well). I would probably go with the 2.5 gallon model to start if I was to move forward on this piece of equipment. Here's a link to the PicoBrew Z's page for reference - https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply!

 

[Dilbert Fizzwinkle]

Is it just me or does this seem kinda like a gentle nudge towards getting page hits?
Just sayin'.

 

[NewBrewer1]

Hey Dilbert,

I put the link in there for reference, if you don't think it's appropriate I could remove it. I have no affiliation with PicoBrew and have nothing to gain from you or anyone else clicking or utilizing that link. Do you have any input in response to my post that would be helpful to me? Thanks!

 

[ancientmariner52]

Hey Dilbert,

I put the link in there for reference, if you don't think it's appropriate I could remove it. I have no affiliation with PicoBrew and have nothing to gain from you or anyone else clicking or utilizing that link. Do you have any input in response to my post that would be helpful to me? Thanks!

Can't help you with the PicoBrew, but I see links to manutacturer's web pages all the time on HBT. Nothing inappropriate, I regard it as a courtesy. However, be aware that this sort of spamming does happen, in fact has happened just a bit ago. So I see Dilbert's concern as well. Not a moderator, JMO. Peace, y'all.

 

[Dilbert Fizzwinkle]

I have had the Picobrew S for almost two weeks and it is down. I am still waiting for a response to my service request on what to do to get it back up and running. Beyond that, my only advice to you is to see if there is a brewing club or group in your area that would let you try out an automated brewer like the Zymatic or a Pico Pro and see if it is a good fit for you.
Who knows? You may just not like brewing or you may just find your passion.
Didn't mean to imply that you were trying to bait people. Just that I have been burned before.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I'd recommend doing a few extract 2 gallon batches on your stove top first. Won't really cost anything and you can see if you like it before making a bigger investment. Theres abit of a learning curve and your first few brews will likely be not great regardless of your wort making process

 

[Thorrak]

Hey All!

I'm brand new here and very new to brewing in general. I have a lot of interest, but not a ton of time. I was looking at the different machines from PicoBrew and the newly announced PicoBrew Z caught my attention. Can anyone share their thoughts on this machine in general and if they think it could be good for someone like me who is interested in brewing, the brewing process, and eventually fine tuning recipes of my own? I like how the machine is modular and can range from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons depending on the model selected (but from what I understand you can upgrade later on as well). I would probably go with the 2.5 gallon model to start if I was to move forward on this piece of equipment. Here's a link to the PicoBrew Z's page for reference - https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply!

I started with a 1 gallon Brooklyn Beer Shop kit, moved up to 2.5 gallon batches on a stovetop, and then switched to the PicoBrew Zymatic. I love my Zymatic for exactly the reason you cite - I don't have very many uninterrupted 3-5 hour blocks I can devote to brewing, and like the flexibility the Zymatic provides in that regard.

Were I to start all over again, I would still begin with 1 gallon batches - if for no other reason than to get a feel for the brewing process before jumping to an automated solution. Even with the Zymatic it was helpful to have had experience brewing the "old fashioned" way as that allows you to better understand what and why the Zymatic is doing what it does at each step of the process. Even though the device is an automated brewing appliance, the process it seeks to implement is the same as what stovetop brewers do with each batch.

That said - were I in your shoes I would still place a preorder for a Z1 now, while looking to do a few of those 1 gallon batches before it ships. You can cancel your preorder for a full refund at any time between now and shipping, and the 1 gallon batches will give you time to determine if it's the right hobby for you.


As a new brewer or an experienced one, I wouldn't go for the larger capacity devices, though that's mostly because I personally don't see the benefit. It seems like there is functionally no difference between buying 1 Z2 vs. 2 Z1s -- both are independent devices, brewing to independent brewing kegs - the only difference being a slightly smaller footprint as you would have one fewer control mechanism. If you think you would be interested in doing A/B testing at a later date by brewing two batches side by side, then you can always invest in a second machine (or the upgrade) at a later date. If you're interested in a larger batch size, I would argue that a standalone HERMS/RIMS setup would probably be the better choice.

 

[JaleHouseBrew]

I just got my Zymatic about 1 month ago and I've brewed 3 beers on it so far.

I purchased it because I started as an extract brewer, moved up to partial mash, and really enjoyed the hobby. I only brewed about 10 beers in 2-3 years, because even as a single man at the time, its a time consuming hobby. Ever since getting married and having kids, I've had no opportunities to brew because it takes about half a day. I bought the Zymatic so I can start enjoying the hobby again. Of the all automated systems out there, the Zymatic, while expensive, was one of the few you could start and walk away from for hours at a time. The smaller systems Pico offers force you to buy kits from them, and I'd prefer going to the homebrew store and building my own. The other sale point for me on the Zymatic was their customer support, which most people said was top notch. The Brewie was the other automated system similar to the Zymatic, but their service was notoriously bad, so I stayed away from them.

My experience with the Zymatic so far has been pretty good, but it has its flaws. The OLED screen on mine would get fuzzy as the system heated up, and now is completely unreadable. On the other hand, the support staff was responsive to my emails and my replacement unit is on the way. The recipe editor gives you some flexibility to add some advanced steps, but it's not super intuitive, and I didn't get an expected result with one of my batches.

I preordered the Z to get in on the discounted price since it was cheaper than the $1600 I paid for the Zymatic. I'll probably sell it once the new one comes in. It's essentially the same system with higher quality components and a handful of added features. I don't see a ton of promise in the PicoPak addition for me personally unless they get major buy-in from a ton of professional breweries, but its not a bad addition.

 

[Inspire]

Yeh to be honest, it's all marketing by the company. Just open your eyes and you can see. You rarely see those kinds of post from normal people. They either doing it themselves, or hired a marketing firm to do it. I used to do SEO, and it's SEO marketing tactics. Use lots of accounts, or buy old accounts, or even age accounts making it all look real. Just beware is all I'm saying and do your research.

 

[Lax coach]

I preordered the Z to get in on the discounted price since it was cheaper than the $1600 I paid for the Zymatic. I'll probably sell it once the new one comes in. It's essentially the same system with higher quality components and a handful of added features. I don't see a ton of promise in the PicoPak addition for me personally unless they get major buy-in from a ton of professional breweries, but its not a bad addition.

My understanding is you can trade the Zymatic in for a $600 credit after your Z comes, which might be better than what you'd get resale. There's also a similar $300 credit on the PicoPro that I'm going to try to get in on. Mine is actually a straight Pico that I upgraded to the Pro via a kit they sell, so it remains to be seen if they'll allow it.

 

[Mike Howard]

If you are set on the Picobrew Z, do yourself a favor and at least get the Z2, as the Z1 is not directly upgradeable. The Z1 is more of a Zymatic replacement, 2.5 gallons, 110V, whereas the Z2 is 5 gallons, 240V, but will upgrade to the Z3 or Z4.

 

[Lax coach]

If you are set on the Picobrew Z, do yourself a favor and at least get the Z2, as the Z1 is not directly upgradeable. The Z1 is more of a Zymatic replacement, 2.5 gallons, 110V, whereas the Z2 is 5 gallons, 240V, but will upgrade to the Z3 or Z4.

This is what I did as well. I originally ordered the Z1, and then upon realizing that it wasn't directly upgradeable, emailed support and had them change me to a Z2.

 

[cubsfan16]

I ordered the Z1 to replace my Zymatic. I like doing 5-10 on my eBIAB setup. Something about what appears to be doing everything twice (loading 2 step filters, hop cages, cleaning double the parts) isn’t worth the other convenience it offers over my eBIAB. However, I can eek out 3.5g of low gravity wort out of my Zymatic which works perfect for me.

 

[Gut Pile]

If you are set on the Picobrew Z, do yourself a favor and at least get the Z2, as the Z1 is not directly upgradeable. The Z1 is more of a Zymatic replacement, 2.5 gallons, 110V, whereas the Z2 is 5 gallons, 240V, but will upgrade to the Z3 or Z4.

OP is one of their CS/Marketing spammers trying to get the device to come up on forums in

Hey All!

I'm brand new here and very new to brewing in general. I have a lot of interest, but not a ton of time. I was looking at the different machines from PicoBrew and the newly announced PicoBrew Z caught my attention. Can anyone share their thoughts on this machine in general and if they think it could be good for someone like me who is interested in brewing, the brewing process, and eventually fine tuning recipes of my own? I like how the machine is modular and can range from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons depending on the model selected (but from what I understand you can upgrade later on as well). I would probably go with the 2.5 gallon model to start if I was to move forward on this piece of equipment. Here's a link to the PicoBrew Z's page for reference - https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply!

Which CS/Marketing spammer is this? There are only 3 of you that I know of.

 

[Thorrak]

OP is one of their CS/Marketing spammers trying to get the device to come up on forums in

Which CS/Marketing spammer is this? There are only 3 of you that I know of.

Yikes. Chill with the negativity. I understand you had a bad experience with the company, but there's no need to accuse anyone asking a question of being a shill or spammer.

 

[Trevor Mack]

Personally I'm excited about the possibilities of having a Z1 and have heard from support that it is upgradable to a Z2 just with an additional control board needed. All the manufacturing looks to be cookie cutter between Z1-Z4 so not sure why there is talk about it not being upgradable.

I'll look up my question given to support and see if I can paste there response here for others.

 

[Gut Pile]

Personally I'm excited about the possibilities of having a Z1 and have heard from support that it is upgradable to a Z2 just with an additional control board needed. All the manufacturing looks to be cookie cutter between Z1-Z4 so not sure why there is talk about it not being upgradable.

I'll look up my question given to support and see if I can paste there response here for others.

That conflicts with what I was told by support after initially being told they were plug & play. They said they would be willing to back the Z1 if you want to upgrade to a Z2. The Z2 obviously being 220 supposedly has a different control board too. Now that was in February so maybe this has changed?

 

[Trevor Mack]

Here is the response I got from PicoBrew support which agrees with my assumption that a new controller to convert and tail the units together for the additional power requirements.

 

[Mike Howard]

"...some of the details on it are still in development..." meaning they have no idea how this will actually work so I wouldn't hold my breath on an upgrade from the Z1 to a Z2. Plus, if they ever do have an upgrade available, I highly doubt they will allow you to do that conversion yourself. You'll need to send your unit back and let them do it for you.

 

[Mike Howard]

Yikes. Chill with the negativity. I understand you had a bad experience with the company, but there's no need to accuse anyone asking a question of being a shill or spammer.

But it does beg the questios as to why the OP has never responded after the initial link issues that Dilbert pointed out. I wouldn't put it past Picobrew to do this, but if the OP is legit, I'm sure they will respond in kind as some of us answered with real info.

 

[Gut Pile]

Hey All!

I'm brand new here and very new to brewing in general. I have a lot of interest, but not a ton of time. I was looking at the different machines from PicoBrew and the newly announced PicoBrew Z caught my attention. Can anyone share their thoughts on this machine in general and if they think it could be good for someone like me who is interested in brewing, the brewing process, and eventually fine tuning recipes of my own? I like how the machine is modular and can range from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons depending on the model selected (but from what I understand you can upgrade later on as well). I would probably go with the 2.5 gallon model to start if I was to move forward on this piece of equipment. Here's a link to the PicoBrew Z's page for reference - https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply!

Start with a large pot on your stove, a cooler and a bucket. Once you have put a few batches under your belt then take a stack of hundred dollar bills and either stuff them down the toilet or light them on fire because that is what you will be doing when you give your money to picobrew for a Z at your current stage of development as a brewer er spam bot. I'm not saying its not a quality machine. Actually it doesn't exist yet and they are out of Zymatic stock and based on their past history its unlikely to be trouble free or durable. But hey you will get to accumulate a pile of cracked filters like me. Maybe even for free. But if you are new to brewing all you will be doing is automating the creation of bad wort. Make good beer and learn how and why its good beer and then you will be ready for something like a Z that has yet to ship, has no production specs and costs as much as a full blown electric herms setup used by actual pros for pilot systems in real breweries.

 

[Gut Pile]

One last thing on the Z if its anything like the Zymatic its not going to save you much time over a larger real non automated system. Its going to probably have all of the same overflow, clog issues that will require your attention unless you don't mind hot wort spilling everywhere and wasting ingredients ($). You can't run PBW through it since the "pro grade" internals will fall apart and Kevin will reject your warranty repairs if you mention it. So add an additional 3-4 hour cleaning cycle that they still have not figured out to the mix along with being very gently and scrub/soak the step filter down. CIP in my 3 vessel is simple, stupid and much faster than getting the Zymatic clean. Something it never really does anyway because its always belching out crud even after the new beta 5 clean. Oh and the clean cycle will cause your pumps to fail and your stepper arm grease seal to fail.

 

[Mike Howard]

ha ha ha...that about sums it up...

 

[nrb1]

I had the original Zymatic about 4 years ago. It leaked. They gave me a kluge of putting spoons on top of the screen. It still leaked. Took their offer to trade it in on a Z2 about a year ago. Got the Z2 in September. Have set up just one unit. There is virtually 0 documentation on how to use the product. They recommend that you look for third party videos to learn the machine. PicoBrew has none. After searching and viewing users' videos, I did get a successful brew but trying a 2nd time I had a flow problem that I spent 90 minutes troubleshooting using their online steps. Got flow going but developed a leak. They have no phone support. You need to send an email and wait. If you happen to be on the east coast and start your brew day at 10:00 like I did, you wait 5 hours for an initial response and then, with no phone or messaging, its an hour for every back and forth. This means days, at least, to troubleshoot something that could be resolved in 10 minutes on the phone. So, I recommend not buying from PicoBrew. The machines are finicky and they are notorious for horrible customer support. But if you are not deterred, my 2 Z1's, or a Z2 with 220 power are for sale for best offer. Neil [email protected]

 

[Mike Howard]

And so it begins......

Anyone reading either the Picobrew Z or the Zymatic thread should have all the info they need to be informed on their buying purchases...IMO you should get a BrewBoss, you will not be disappointed. Best customer service experience I've had in a very long time. I've had zero issues, brewed about forty 15 gallon batches and can be as automated or as hands on as I want, no plastic parts, no black box, clean up is a breeze, all stainless with tri-clamp fittings and a very good operation manual.

 

[Brewfreedom]

OP you are better off looking at the growing mass of single vessel options out there from reputable companies for a fraction of what the Z costs. These are all better systems to learn how to actually brew on Assuming you want to learn to brew and not push a button for some very expensive bad beer? ss brewtech, spike, grounded brewing tech. Pretty much everyone makes a bigger/better system. Brewboss is also a great option.

 

[jlhammond]

I've been a picobrew user for a couple of years and have had the Z1 for almost a year. I'm running into some maintenance issues and could use some help diagnosing what part is failing. I've used the picobrew.com troubleshooting tree but it doesn't help. Basically, my step filter is overflowing. I've cleaned out everything, even replaced the ball lock connectors and internal pumps. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike Howard]

@jlhammond try posting in the Z thread and list everything you have done to solve the issue.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Just guessing here, but if you can separate a 220V Z2 into two 110V Z1s, they're probably just using the 220V circuit as a convenient away to get two high amperage 110V circuits to units that are stacked. Effectively, a 220V circuit is just two 110V circuits from different phases combined in a single outlet -- 2 hots and one neutral. In the end, whether the units are connected to a 110V outlet or 220V, each unit is probably running on 110V.

The reason I mention this is that there's lots of chatter about how much better 220V is for electric brewing, but that's in regard to 5+ gallon systems. The Z's situation is very different than, for example, an Anvil Foundry, which can be switched from 110V to 220V. The Foundry will actually heat nearly twice as fast in 220V mode, whereas the Z2 on 220V would heat no faster than the Z1 on 110V.

Again, to be clear, this is just an educated guess.