Picobrew - Pico Model C Brewing Machine - Black

I just got into homebrewing a few months ago and I received the PicoBrew Model C as a gift. At first I wasn’t sure if I would use it as I’ve got all the equipment to brew 10 gallon all grain batches. But, as soon as I started my first brew I fell in love. I’ll be brewing my 7th batch today, so, needless to say, I’m hooked. Synopsis: - PicoBrew automates the wort making process, making it super easy to brew beer - Both experienced and inexperienced homebrewers will love how fun and easy it is to brew small batches of YOUR own beer - If you are wanting to get into homebrewing, don’t hesitate to buy this, you’ll love it, it inspired a new hobby for me Pros: - Easy to clean, automated brewing - Monitoring the brewing process via the website on your phone is just plain cool! - Still get that great grain and hops brewing smell (If you like beer, you’ll fall in love with the smell of brewing) - Beers come out consistently good Cons: - Small batches (this can actually be a pro in some cases) - Limited ability to customize your brews - PicoPaks can be hard to find and a bit expensive (Pro tip: You can get them at your local Best Buy) - No PicoPak in the box (order one with your Pico or you’ll be disappointed if you want to brew the same day you setup your Pico) Details: I love the PicoBrew as it lets me easily experiment with different styles of beer as well as getting to try beers from breweries I wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to try. I have to admit I was a little skeptical about the latter, as I really didn’t think that I, or this machine, could brew a beer like the big guys. I was wrong, with the PicoBrew, you really can. If you’ve ever homebrewed, you know that it basically consists of watching water boil and sanitizing. It’s a multi-hour process, and while rewarding in the end, is really time consuming. It requires constant monitoring, I have 2 kids and I have to have my wife watch them while I brew on the 10 gallon setup. The PicoBrew automates the wort making process. You don’t have to constantly monitor temperatures and the open flames of the burner, etc. You don’t even have to be there while it’s brewing, you can monitor progress on your phone or PC via their website (which is one of the coolest things about it). No babysitter needed when brewing with the Pico! As I mentioned above, once you smell the grains and hops boiling, you’ll love it. Though, if you or your house mates don’t like that smell, put it in the garage and avoid conflict. I mention above that one of the cons is limited ability to customize your brews. If you’ve never brewed beer, that’s probably not a big deal to you. If you have, you’ll feel a bit limited. However, one of the most delightful things is that you can customize your own PicoPaks online, from the grains, to the hops, to the yeast. Once you get a little more experienced, I highly recommend making your own PicoPak. I was amazed that they took the time to etch the name of the beer I made into the PicoPak! See the pics in this review for examples. PicoPaks can be hard to find and they are expensive. Watch for sales on their website. I looked forever to find them locally, turns out you can get them at Best Buy of all places. At this point I’ve always got a batch of PicoBrew beer and my own homebrew on draft. If you’ve got a kegerator, invest in one of the Pico Pro kegs (or buy a 1.75 gallon ball lock keg). In my opinion, kegging beer and carbonating with CO2 makes a better brew and it’s much faster from ferment to drinking. Even if you don’t, just using the included keg is fine. You might also considering the bottling kit, makes it much easier to share your brews, which is one of the most fun parts about home brewing. For me, I got so into it, that I ended up buying a kegerator so I could more quickly enjoy my own brews. I’m actually homebrewing more on my 10 gallon setup as a result of trying new things on the Pico. I love having the easy quick batches from the Pico to compliment my big batches. If you are thinking about buying the PicoBrew, just do it, you’ll love it, and maybe you’ll have a new hobby as well.

I joined the Pico C Kickstarter campaign as a “Super Early Bird.” I'd been interested in a PicoBrew for quite a while, but with the announcement of the more affordable Pico C I knew that the time was right. I'd know of the solid reputation of PicoBrew products and I had confidence that the Kickstarter would reach their goals. The goals where reached quickly (I pounced on the Pico C as an early bird, which allowed for me to be one of the first Pico C recipients), and I received my unit in late September. The Pico C arrived with nearly everything required to complete a start-to-finished product. In advance, I made sure I had a few gallons of distilled water (reverse-osmosis works, too) and plenty of StarSan to keep things clean. I also bought a PicoPak of Half Squeezed IPA because I wanted my first batch to be an ale (the unit shipped with a PicoPak of Helles Lager). After the initial rinse I loaded the vessels with distilled water, attached the Pico C to my wireless network, loaded up the PicoPak, and watched everything happen. It takes about two hours and it makes whatever room in which you're brewing smell great (or terrible if you're like my kids and don't know any better). I let the wort cool for 24 hours, then added the yeast, and waited about a week for the brew to ferment. I tossed in the provided hop packets for the dry hopping about 3 days before chilling the brew in the refrigerator overnight to crash the yeast. After a full day in the refrigerator I racked the beer from the fermenting keg into the serving keg. The Pico C ships with what is required to do natural carbonation (adding sugar to the serving keg to allow for natural carbonation), but I was anxious to try it so I invested in a CO2 kit and food-grade CO2 cannisters so that I could be ready to try it in 36 hours instead of the extended time required for natural carbonation. I followed the directions (from the Pico Pro manual) to carbonate with CO2 and everything worked perfectly. Great, fresh beer carbonated just right. I've heard the comparisons between brewing with the Pico C and making coffee with a K-Cups. There are some comparisons for sure, but there is enough interaction (in other words, lots of stuff to wash and keep clean) in the Pico brewing that I would classify as real brewing. You experience all of the stages of the brew process and all of the great aromas along the way. I would love for there to be a way to mix up my own ingredients at home and create my own kits, but for now this can only be done by Pico as a service they provide for those of us who want to create their own recipes. So Pico-packed PicoPaks are the only way to go. They're great, but it would be great to get more creative with my own. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with the Pico C. I've only made beer so far. I will make some Kambucha tea at some point. The device also supports Sous Vide cooking, but I haven't tried that yet. I look forward to buying more kegs (when they are available) so that I'm not limited to one batch at a time. I've pre-ordered the PicoStill add-on, too. I guess one could say that I'm in it for the long haul. I hope this baby holds up because it will be really put to the test at my house...

I had been mulling over buying the Pico S model for close to a year. Well, just by luck, patience paid off and I was one of the first that had made a pledge to their PICO C Kickstarter campaign. When people ask me what a Picobrew is, I explain to them that it's like a Keurig for beer, but with a longer wait time. I am by no means a home brewer. I love beer & would love to be a home brewer. I just don't have the time to do the research and educate myself the process for brewing beer from scratch. This is why the Pico C is great for someone like myself. It's completely fool proof and extremely easy to use. I have brewed an IPA, Double IPA and a Lager. Each beer has turned out great. I would highly recommend the Pico C for anyone that loves beer!!! Not to mention the impeccable service I have received from Picobrew! Cheers!!!!

The Picobrew Model C is an amazing product that allows anyone to brew their own beer quickly and easily with a lot less mess than a typical home brew sessions. The pico pacs cover a wide variety of styles and flavors that are easily inserted into the machine and can even be put on the compost pile when finished. Each facet of the brewing process is explained on the machine in detail with each step needing to be completed before moving on. The cleanup is easy and the beer is amazing, every time I brew one batch I'm immediately thinking of what my next will be. So far the best pico pacs I've had are the Helles Lager and Buffalo Sweat porter though I can't wait to try the fall spiced beer. I would recommend this product to anyone who loves beer. Worth the price and a great product for any home bar.

We just finished our first homebrewed beer! It was super easy with the PicoC, we followed the instructions and out came the beer :D There was some question as to how long to ferment, but once the PicoFerm gets here that will be a non-issue. Here was our first brew:: Helles Lager by Lucky Envelope Brewing We really enjoyed this one, it had none of the bitter taste of an IPA and all the body of a lager. It carbonated very well with the sugar packet, gave a nice head. The taste was on the bready side, but we really enjoyed that. We will be ordering this one again. Cooled 24 hours before pitching the yeast Fast Fermented 8 days Chilled 24 hours Sugar Carbonated 7.5 days Total days from brew to serve: 18 days

I just brewed my first batch last week. The manual says from brew to pint in 7 - 10 days. It does not tell you that you have to purchase other things like a C02 regulator to carbonate the beer faster or wait an additional period of time before you can drink it. Other than that, I am pretty happy by how easy everything was...

Just set up my man cave and this was a welcome addition. Looking forward to brewing with my friends! Ordered some pics packs for some different flavors so once they are received will try some new flavors. Loving it so far!

A Kreug for my alcoholism. What better way to start the morning by putting in the pod of hops and brew a mini keg for my drive to work.