One of the topics I wanted to write about is the PicoBrew Zymatic. If you haven’t heard about this system, the guys at PicoBrew ran a successful kickstarter campaign to help build a table top device that brews beer with the click of a few buttons.
Part of the story behind the invention was that the hobby of homebrewing is challenging, especially when attempting to the same recipe more than once and expecting the same results (very similar to the folk definition of insanity). With so many variables in play when homebrewing, many due to basic equipment that makes it difficult to exactly replicate conditions from batch to batch, the solution was to build a system where the variables could be controlled.
The other issue their invention was trying to solve is the time it takes to brew beer at home. They point out that there is no art or fun in cleaning up a kettle. A machine that can brew beer in a self contained unit with a wash cycle will eliminate the need to carve out the 30 minutes you need to clean up after yourself.
For people who may not have a lot of space to house homebrewing equipment, this set up takes up less square footage than even a simple kit. Again, another positive that this invention has going for it.
These are all great issues that, if solved, would make homebrewing more enjoyable than it is following a typical procedure. The typical brewing at home techniques having progress much since the hobby was legalized in the late 1970s. We should celebrate the innovations that this device is bringing to homebrewers.
The big drawback is the price. For us here in the States, it is a $1,700 investment. Over the 9 years I have been brewing, I don’t think I have sunk that much money into the hobby. If time, control, and space are things you want to fix with a one time purchase, there is value to buying the PicoBrew Zymatic.
Of course, the philosophical side of me wonders if the soul of homebrewing is lost with the ability to push a button and make beer. I like the challenge of trying to control conditions with an imperfect system. I don’t mind scrubbing my equipment when I am done brewing. Time brewing is time away from the other stuff in my life, which is a good thing. 🙂
I am not a purist but certainly someone who has it in his thick head that something worthwhile is something worth working hard to accomplish. Now if the price came down by 50% and it produced better beer than what I brew with my junk system and manual labor, then there would be no other way to brew but with the Zymatic.
What do you think?
Is there anything lost with this technology, especially with so many gains?
Comment below, please.
Señor Brew™
I’m torn on this as well. But if you were to make/acquire your own even semi automated system, you could easily spend $1700. Chances are you would have a much higher capacity system, but with the zymatic being so easy, you could brew many more batches. I do hate cleaning up, so time saved on scrubbing kettles is valuable to me–John since you enjoy it so much, you’re welcome any time to help me clean. I’ll pay you in homebrew. 🙂
I do like the idea of all the experimentation you could do on the system. It sounds as though while there are set recipes with built in factors, you can tweak just about anything. It would be cool to do 3 or 4 batches of the same beer in a row with different mash temps to dial in the exact mouthfeel you want in your finished beer. I would also use a lot more experimental ingredients if I knew that the labor time was minimal, and at most I would waste a case of beer at a time.
I can see this coming down in cost over time as well. Think about how much the first microwaves cost vs what they are today. I have already seen an ad for a competing model that also serves your finished beer–it has a chiller and a tap.
So I’m not buying one right now, but it could be on my Christmas list for next year.
starter
Good points and article. My first thought when seeing the picobrew was that it looked awesome but then it would likely render homebrewing similar to using a bread machine. The bread in a bread machine come out consistent but bland and perhaps a bit soulless. I like the idea of replication which will appeal to some people but others like a little change. Still, the innovation is very cool and in the end automating some steps of the home brewing process are welcome!
Aaron
It’s interesting, I had the same conversation with a friend who also brews. I’m solidly in the automation camp. For me it’s not about relinquishing the responsibility to brew my beer, it’s about being able to take better control over a large selection of the wort production side variables. Making them repeatable. Most production scale breweries are automated from rakes, to pumps and timers. The would give me a much more flexible amount of creative control over my brewing. Sure, it will take a lot of the hand on out of the picture, but I’m more about the creative crafting a recipe side. Of course, I can’t justify the cost, but in the big picture, 1700 isn’t a huge investment if you compare other sculptures, or brewing automation devices.
brewella deville
In my mind, brewing is a combination of the best of everything in my world. Creativity, science, cooking, and way to learn something new every day. It’s a meditative process, and there is art in every step of the process if I remember to look for it. Maybe I won’t ever recreate the same beer twice, but that’s part of the adventure. This machine reminds me of the bread machines that were so popular a few years ago. Those machines do all the work, and turn out a pretty consistent product, but in the end is it as wonderful as an artisan loaf or even a well made loaf of bread made by a home cook? I’m willing to save time in other areas of my life, but for beer, I’ll take the long road every time.