PicoBrew
PicoBrew recently launched its new Z Series line of professional beer-brewing appliances.
PicoBrew is making a move into craft breweries and restaurants, but the startup says it will still be available to brew beer on your kitchen counter.
The newest line of automated beer brewing machines from the Seattle company, the Z series, is made for those who want the option of making bigger batches of brews — think restaurants, bars, breweries and serious individual beer lovers.
PicoBrew launched about five years ago with a home-brewing machine, the Zymatic, that was about the size of a microwave oven and aimed to automate some of the beer-making process, making it easier for aspiring garage brewers.
So far, about 2,700 Zymatic units have sold and about half went to professional brewers who wanted to make pilot batches of new beers, said PicoBrew founder and CEO Bill Mitchell.
PicoBrew has since announced smaller brewing units that more compactly fit into a home and come with curated ingredient packs, if the brewer desires. That Pico series will still be available.
But the Zymatic — which could only brew about 10 litres — will be replaced by the Z series. It allows brewers to make about 40 litres, a larger capacity that commercial brewers wanted.
The Z series allows brewers to add or remove some components depending on how big a batch they’re brewing, an idea that former Microsoft executive Mitchell modelled on the scalability of data centres.
PicoBrew has relied on Kickstarter to launch its product sales in the past, but this time it’s moving away from the crowdfunding website. Instead, it will take orders on its site.
The Zymatic is still currently on sale for US$1,999 and the small Pico C costs US$449. The Z series, available in June, costs between US$1,499 for a machine that makes about 10 litres of beer to US$3,999 for a 40-litre unit.
— Tribune Media
