PicoBrew PICO Model C Beer Brewing Appliance Price: $199.99 Shipping Options:: $5 Standard (Free with Prime) Shipping Estimates: Ships in 1-2 business days (Monday, Jul 16 to Tuesday, Jul 17) + transit Condition: New
This is kind of an unbelievable price for this unit. I think it retailed for $499 and even woot had it for $250 just a few weeks ago.
I would love to try this, but I’m very torn. The PicoPaks are about $25 and the yield is 11 12oz glasses of beer. And since the marketplace is based on partnering with known brewers, you’re really not saving money with this operation over buying it from a store.
So, you’d argue, that’s not the point. You can get a feel for brewing, and alter the characteristic of your beer to your liking.
That’s awesome! Except, I feel like this goes 2 ways:
You find a real love for home brewing, but since this thing has permanent training wheels, you have to abandon it for real stuff, and you’re $200+ in the hole and have to start all over. There are cheaper kits out there that let you actually homebrew – even as a noob.
You get bored and tired of waiting for beer and washing everything (yes, even in the dishwasher) and decide it’s just easier (and cheaper) to buy the beer you really like.
$200 is a great price for this, but that “buy what we tell you” is not. Just the fact that I can get a case of Sam, Sierra or whatever random brew they have for sale over at costco for $30 a case makes the $25 for 13 that I have to clean up after (AND I have to purchase other items for like CO2) ruins it.
I would really like this, but the hassle (and complete lack of ability to truly mix your own from your own sources) is holding me back.
But, like printer ink cartridges, maybe that is the point. If you TRULY want to buy your own grains, I believe they have a model that accommodates that… but it ain’t $200.
It is grain brewing. While you folks debate, I just bought my second one. This will make a great wedding gift from the crazy uncle. I’ll bet it gets more use than dishes or a toaster.
Point #2 - I never had a unit like this, but after several years of brewing my own beer, I decided it was easier to just buy beer. Cleaning bottles and dealing with the mess just wasn’t my thing.
I bought it a few weeks ago when woot had it for $250 and ive done 2 batches so far. Both tasted great. I think it was a mixture of being freshly made and the semi-pride of making it myself. First one I did was natural carbonated and the 2nd was forced carbonated. Forced is the wait to go if you don’t want to wait a life time.
As for the pico paks, they recently started shipping empty packs so you can add your own mixes which should make the price easier to swallow. Also, they tend to run sales pretty often. There was a deal for 6-packs this week for $100.
Lastly, i’ve used it in sous vide mode for steaks and sweet baby Jesus those steaks were amazing. I’ve also done a few desserts in the cooker that were great.
Do you have a link? I cannot find the empty packs on the main site, and the Pico U Kickstarter which the DIY PicoPaks was related to has been postponed (cancelled).
After having been burned by promised features, I buy a product based on what it can do at the time of sale as opposed to what it is promised to do in the future.
This isn’t homebrewing. Not even close. It’s a shortcut and you will learn nothing about zymurgy.
You would learn more and make a higher quality product using an extract kit in your kitchen, seriously. And for a lot money, and you get the satisfaction of doing some real work and having hands on.
I’ve been doing all-grain brewing with $2000 of equipment for over 10 years now, so yeah, I can speak on what’s good for homebrewing.
Go to any brew supply online and get a starter kit for $100. You can make a five-gallon batch vs a 5-liter batch. No for $100 it won’t be all grain equipment but it will still make better beer than you can get in a store and you actually made it, not just pressed a button. Then after a year if you really get into things you can make the mash tun and hot water tank for under $100 to go all grain. Tons of youtube videos to show you how. You can make a 5-gallon batch for $30, which is what a pack cost at Pico for Just 12 bottles. You can buy the best 12 pack for less money than what the Pico charges you to make it. That just does not make sense to me. I’ve been brewing over 20 years and the fun of it is mixing it all together and standing over the brew pot stirring and adding hops ect… It is a great price on this machine but I just can’t see paying more to make the craft brew than you can buy it for at the store or the brewery. Just my 2c.
I bit for one at $225 a couple weeks ago (yep, dammit WOOT!!) and that was part of the appeal (sous vide). I’d like to hear more about your experience with that.
I also like the idea of the still add-on for customizing and oil extraction but used to be a chemist in a past life. This seemed like a soft entry back into that world, so to speak.
Finally, I would point out some packs are sold on Bed, Bath and Beyond and you can use the coupons when ordering and save money that way!
Having done my own brewing for many years I can see the appeal, but as many said once you start doing this you will want to do some real brewing and this will just be a $200 paper weight. Seriously, get the Charlie Papazian guide to home brewing and read it cover to cover. Then decide the route you want to go. This is like buying a Keurig. It’s convenient but it’s not the real thing. I stopped brewing because I went as far as I wanted and it was just easier and cheaper to buy my beer from the store. Now most of the distributors sell growlers so there is no excuse not to have fresh brew in your fridge. I also work in a bar with 24 taps so there is that…
It definitely sounds like the Keurig of beer brewing.
Real beer brewing starter kits start at about $100. A complete extract kit is usually around 20-40 bucks, and that setup gets you 5 gallons. It’s about a day or so work, but that’s also about 40-50 beers rather than 11…
Ditto. I brewed my own for 12 years, and even got pretty good at it. But eventually you figure out that buying it is WAY easier (and cheaper in the long run). I do have friends that have been brewing for 25+ years. I guess you pick your own hobbies.
MY hobby is buying a 12-pack of Miller or Coors at the nearest store and draining it in front of the Telly. My tastes are limited, but I know what I like.
I have it. My analogy is this. This is like a automated bread maker. You can buy cheap bread for cheaper than making it. You can get equivalent or artisan bread for equal/lower/higher than making it. You can get cheaper bread making kits, but they may not be as automated.
So who should buy it. Anyone who wants the experience of making beer at home with high automation, and can stomach the cleaning and sanitation that goes with it.
It’s worth it if you plan to make it a career. My sister’s friend went from hobbyist home brewer to head brewmaster at a pretty popular restaurant downtown in my city.
Sorry, jammed 2 ideas together at once. Right now i’ve used the “FreeStyle” crafter to make my own pack. Forgot that the U got cancelled. I would guess the empty packs will be released soon. It just a pack with out the fixings.
and ive done 2 batches so far. Both tasted great. I think it was a mixture of being freshly made and the semi-pride of making it myself. First one I did was natural carbonated and the 2nd was forced carbonated. Forced is the wait to go if you don’t want to wait a life time.![[Preview 1]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/60c1150e-e984-4a36-92b8-25b258fff449.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 2]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/b27a4085-fb32-4ad9-9ac3-2b3e601ca205.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 3]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/41c9cadf-53c5-4588-8a9e-f07b6d37a220.jpg){kind=link}
