[denny]

That's awesome Denny!  You must have a good relationship with the company.  My curiosity can't help but ask, how did they customize your Zymatic, what special tweaks did they include for you?  Thanks!

I'm in their ads and have tested a bunch of stuff for them.  The sell Paks of my Little RIPA Rye IPA, my Bourbon Vanilla Imperial POrter and I think a couple others.  For the custom unit, they added a plate on the front that says "Badass" and put on a know that goes to 11. 

https://www.picobrew.com/Store/products/zymatic.cshtml

https://picobrew.com/blog/2017/04/04/meet-home-brew-wizard-denny-conn/

[banjo-guy]

I preordered the new Z. They gave existing owners a nice discount and additional savings for referrals.

I trust the company but I really need to see specifics about the product before I go ahead with the purchase.
Denny has a much better idea of the new Z than I do. I’m pretty sure that he has seen it firsthand. ( or at least the new Z in its current state). He is sworn to secrecy!

[NewBrewer]

Ok Guys!

So I just pulled the trigger & bought the new PicoBrew Z as I went down the rabbit hole doing research I just couldn't stop myself. Plus it's fully refundable until it ships in July so I figured it was a no brainer to get the discount which expires on March 15th and then do more research.

I got to take advantage of the discount going on and used a coupon code from a forum member to get an extra $50 off. If anyone moves forward I would love for you to use my coupon code KYZ5R ...you'll save $50 and I'll save some money too. I love the community element of saving money on this item!  Also anyone with a Zymatic can exchange their current model for a $600 credit towards any of the Z models

Even though I pulled the trigger and just bought one I would love to still discuss the merits of this machine as I have till July to cancel if I want. Happy Brewing! So excited!

[majorvices]

I have a zymatic that I have had for over a year and I like it, aside from the tray cracking I have had no issues and PicoBrew replaced it for free. It's very easy to do back to back 2.5 gallon brews to get 5 gallons. A lot of people don't realize that most successful comercial breweries brew several times to fill one tank so there's absolutely no reason why you can't run two batches.

I'm interested in the Z but a little disappointed it isn't a whole new reworking of the system. Some of the cons of the Zymatic is the limited mash tun and I'm not super crazy about the way it handles hops. It also doesn't "boil" instead holds at 207 degrees. But it does work so I like it.

[denny]

I have a zymatic that I have had for over a year and I like it, aside from the tray cracking I have had no issues and PicoBrew replaced it for free. It's very easy to do back to back 2.5 gallon brews to get 5 gallons. A lot of people don't realize that most successful comercial breweries brew several times to fill one tank so there's absolutely no reason why you can't run two batches.

I'm interested in the Z but a little disappointed it isn't a whole new reworking of the system. Some of the cons of the Zymatic is the limited mash tun and I'm not super crazy about the way it handles hops. It also doesn't "boil" instead holds at 207 degrees. But it does work so I like it.

The fact that is gets to 207 has always been a non issue for me.  Has it been different for you?  And it's definitely a pretty much total reworking in terms of the intermals.

[majorvices]

I guess I haven't had problems it just seems counter intuitive not to actually boil. I would prefer the hops be included in the boil and I guess you could do that with whole hops. Overall I really like the machine and have recommended it to other local brewers and breweries. But like every system out there it has its pros and cons.

I'm excited to see the changed they incorporate in the Z.

[denny]

I guess I haven't had problems it just seems counter intuitive not to actually boil. I would prefer the hops be included in the boil and I guess you could do that with whole hops. Overall I really like the machine and have recommended it to other local brewers and breweries. But like every system out there it has its pros and cons.

I'm excited to see the changed they incorporate in the Z.

Boiling is so last century!    207 is well above both isomerization and pasteurization temps.  Due to the constant circulation, there's no need for a rolling boil.  Yeah, it's freaky at first, but when you stop to think about it it makes more sense.

[BrewBama]

Based on that logic, would it makes sense for us that are still using 20th century propane burners out on the Big Deck to simply heat to just less than a boil?


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[denny]

Based on that logic, would it makes sense for us that are still using 20th century propane burners out on the Big Deck to simply heat to just less than a boil?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The key to the Zymatic being able to do it is the constant circulation that mimics a rolling boil.  If you can do that, maybe it would be fine on other systems.

[Robert]

Based on that logic, would it makes sense for us that are still using 20th century propane burners out on the Big Deck to simply heat to just less than a boil?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The key to the Zymatic being able to do it is the constant circulation that mimics a rolling boil.  If you can do that, maybe it would be fine on other systems.

I've gone to barley a simmer for no more than 45 minutes, lid almost all the way on, getting barely 4% volume reduction.  I brew in a 10 gal stockpot over two burners on the stove, and with slightly different heat on each burner I get vigorous circulation of the wort.  The wort breaks readily, hop extraction is fantastic, and the wort quality is superior to anything I made before (beer too.)  I bet you COULD get good circulation on a propane burner.  I think my uneven heat really helps (I know big breweries sometimes use mechanical agitators to get circulation where their heat is very even.)  Maybe you could put a copper flame tamer under half the BK,  or disable a few of the burner elements on one side.  Low intensity is the way to go.

[Kevin]

I'm also interested in purchasing a Pico Z to allow me to get serious about brewing. At the moment, I live in an apartment and having a full 5 gallon setup is impossible. I love the idea of 2.5 gallon batches but with the ability to increase volume in the future. I have thought about the Pico C and the Pico Pro but I don't like how limited you are with volume. Plus, you have to use Pico packs which limits experimentation.

I'm curious if anyone has actually seen a prototype and has any first-hand thoughts?

If you are interested in purchasing one as well, feel free to use my code (KZ6MX) http://z.picobrew.com?kid=KZ6MX to save $50. Full disclosure, it also helps me save some money too.

[pacerra]

This is the only machine I have ever brewed on. Great way to start you can do anything any other homebrewer can with this machine. Love it .

If you want a discount (I get a rebate also) use this link

https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z/?pbref=KZ5NK

[pacerra]

I wonder, if you brew two identical batches back to back in the 2.5 gallon version, can you add both to the same 5 gallon keg to ferment  once your done?  How would that work?  Thanks again for your input!

Yes that is done all the time. The new format is modular so you can set up in increments of 2.5 gallons but for me, I have always brewed on the zymatic which is 2.5. I upgraded and am staying at the 2.5 size but again I can double and ferment 5 gallons. (I’d rather brew different recipes and run multiple 2.5 gallon taps).

Again link below will give you (and me) a discount.

https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z/?pbref=KZ5NK

[pacerra]

I have a zymatic that I have had for over a year and I like it, aside from the tray cracking I have had no issues and PicoBrew replaced it for free. It's very easy to do back to back 2.5 gallon brews to get 5 gallons. A lot of people don't realize that most successful comercial breweries brew several times to fill one tank so there's absolutely no reason why you can't run two batches.

I'm interested in the Z but a little disappointed it isn't a whole new reworking of the system. Some of the cons of the Zymatic is the limited mash tun and I'm not super crazy about the way it handles hops. It also doesn't "boil" instead holds at 207 degrees. But it does work so I like it.

The fact that is gets to 207 has always been a non issue for me.  Has it been different for you?  And it's definitely a pretty much total reworking in terms of the intermals.

Re: your comment on the hops just drop them into the brew keg at the appropriate time and don’t use the hop cages. I do this for flameout and whirlpool and use the cages for bitter and late addition hops. Flameout and whirlpool was the answer to my hop flavor(that and getting the water chem right).

Discount available with this link.

https://www.picobrew.com/Store/Products/Z/?pbref=KZ5NK