1.) Bob Peck - 10/27/2015

When home brew becomes sorta, kinda like a Keurig (albeit for rich guys). Pico model makes stock recipes. Zymatic model makes custom recipes.



Fans can pre-order it on Kickstarter at $499, though they won't be able to brew their own beer. The pricier Zymatic -- $2,000 -- is for making your own recipes.

After the Kickstarter closes on Dec. 1, the Pico is expected to go on sale for $1,000 through retailers like Amazon in the spring of 2016.

2.) Swamp Fox - 10/27/2015

This is an abomination like electric smokers with or without remote control!

I want a friend who has one!


:wink

3.) DParker - 10/27/2015

[table="width: 500, class: grid, align: left"]
[tr]
\t[td]Primary Fermenter (aka, "Food Grade Plastic Bucket w/Lid & Spigot")[/td][td]$20.00[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Secondary Fermenter (Glass 5 Gal Carboy)[/td][td]$23.00[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Hydrometer[/td][td]$8.00[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Fermentation Lock[/td][td]$1.59[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Rubber Stopper w/Hole for Fermentation Lock[/td][td]$1.99[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]~5' of 3/8" Siphoning Hose[/td][td]$1.69[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Floating Thermometer[/td][td]$7.99[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Spring-Loaded Bottle Filler[/td][td]$2.99[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Racking Cane[/td][td]$2.99[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Jet Bottle Washer[/td][td]$15.99[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td]Assorted Brushes and Other Cleaning Tools[/td][td]$15.00[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
\t[td][b]Total =[/b][/td][td][b]$101.23[/b][/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

You can brew a near limitless number of recipes (even make wine) with this equipment, and have ~$1,900 left over to spend on malt, yeast, hops, etc.

4.) Swamp Fox - 10/27/2015

Well, it's even worse than that.


If your time is cheap and you figure that into the cost, you can buy a 12-pack of PBR every three days for a year, spending 2.5 days of your life in the grocery store acquiring it as you need it (thus saving space in your refrigerator and living room), and still have $400 left over for ammunition.

That's as much math as I'm gonna do right now. :wink

Suffice it to say:

If your time is valuable, the question becomes "Why are you drinking PBR?"

And if your time is REALLY valuable, the question is why are you messing around brewing 2 gallons of beer at a time?

:wink

5.) bluecat - 10/27/2015

Or you could spend the 2,000 on a couple of nice guns and go over to Swampy's whenever you want to watch Hee Haw and drink beer. :wink

6.) Bob Peck - 10/27/2015

I can't see much of a consumer market for this product because unlike the Keurig which just drops an overpriced self contained coffee pod in machine and poof! you have a decent cup of coffee, there are too many steps and too much waiting around. We are after all mostly an impatient, immediate gratification society.

I *can* see a market for this in a small boutique, one-off Mom and Pop, wine-bar kind of places with an $8/glass retail because 125 glasses later the way overpriced beer the $1000 machine is paid for. Then it's a matter of covering the cost + gross margin of the ingredients. When the demand outpaces the output of the machine buy another machine.

7.) Swamp Fox - 10/27/2015

Well, I'm thinking about charging a small admission to this freak show I've got going on here...So save a few bucks for that. :wink

8.) DParker - 10/27/2015

For $2,000 I can buy 40 bottles of Blanton's and blow my liver out before wanting beer again.

9.) billy b - 10/28/2015

You guys drink liquor:shh::beer:

10.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35798]Well, I'm thinking about charging a small admission to this freak show I've got going on here...So save a few bucks for that. :wink[/QUOTE]
How many cats you running now?

11.) DParker - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=billy b;35800]You guys drink liquor:shh::beer:[/QUOTE]

Well, watering the plants with it didn't work out too well...so I decided to try it this way for a while instead. So far, so good. :tu:

12.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=bluecat;35801]How many cats you running now?[/QUOTE]



I have eight regular customers right now. That's down from 11-13 at various points, depending on the time frame. We'll see if anyone makes a reappearance as winter takes hold.

13.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35803]I have eight regular customers right now. That's down from 11-13 at various points, depending on the time frame. We'll see if anyone makes a reappearance as winter takes hold.[/QUOTE]

Business will pick up. Stay strong.

14.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

LOL...

15.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

If somebody wants to automate something, they need to come up with a timed Friskies feeder for mass quantities :wink....protected from rain would be nice. I suppose there's not much you can do about raccoons, LOL.


I've seen some of the little feeders they have out there to dispense one or two servings....Lightweights :re:...I'm not running no Mickey Mouse operation here...:tap::p

16.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

Don't you have a deer feeder that you can load giant grain sacks into? Load it up with Friskies and turn on your trail cam. That would make for some good tv right there.

17.) Deerminator - 10/28/2015

Look at those iddy biddy glasses of beer.

18.) Wild Bob - 10/28/2015

Interesting...But I think I'll be able to afford Parker's method over the newfangled 'hip' brewery.

But I could see this thing becoming fashionable...I have a couple of distant family members that I imagine will be lined up to get one.

19.) DParker - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Wild Bob;35817]Interesting...But I think I'll be able to afford Parker's method over the newfangled 'hip' brewery.[/QUOTE]

Since I assumed bottling (vs kegging) with my "Spring-Loaded Bottle Filler" entry I should also have included $19.99 for a manual capper. So now you only have ~$1,880 extra burning a hole in your pocket. :grin:

20.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

Cnet had an interesting and detailed review of this thing, and one of the things that I took away from it (at least I think it was in their write-up) is that this might appeal to guys who are already brewing and want an easy way to try out new recipes or tweaks...Then they take the brewmaster-approved result from the Pico to their even more significant rigs, and that's where the serious suds get made.


So apparently there are the equivalent of rifle and bow cranks out there in the home-brewing world...They're not just sitting around on some forum flapping their gums and watching the country go down the tubes....LOL

21.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35820]Cnet had an interesting and detailed review of this thing, and one of the things that I took away from it (at least I think it was in their write-up) is that this might appeal to guys who are already brewing and want an easy way to try out new recipes or tweaks...Then they take the brewmaster-approved result from the Pico to their even more significant rigs, and that's where the serious suds get made.


So apparently there are the equivalent of rifle and bow cranks out there in the home-brewing world...They're not just sitting around on some forum flapping their gums and watching the country go down the tubes....LOL[/QUOTE]

I hate that.

22.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=bluecat;35807]Don't you have a deer feeder that you can load giant grain sacks into? Load it up with Friskies and turn on your trail cam. That would make for some good tv right there.[/QUOTE]


Don't think I haven't thought of it. I would proceed if I could figure out a way to keep the food in a contained area instead of flying out into space. I'm keeping my eye out for some large-diameter flexible pipe to see if I can snug it up around the spinner housing (some of them aren't too wide) leading down to a Rubbermaid-type tub with cut-outs for the tube and for the cats' big fat heads. So far, all I know about is run-off pipe (I'm sure there's some other name for it), and it's corrugated on the inside, which I would rather avoid, and I haven't seen a size bigger than 6 inches that I can easily pick up somewhere. Might have to go to an irrigation supply place or something like that. I think if I could get 8- or 9-inch diameter pipe, I could fit it around the spinner housing. Maybe I'll measure this weekend.


If I could find a good way to make this too-small size work, I'd start here:







[url]http://www.homedepot.com/p/Advanced-Drainage-Systems-6-in-x-10-ft-Corex-Drain-Pipe-Solid-06510010/203298656[/url]




For what I pay somebody to feed when I'm out of town, this would be a worthwhile project, but there are a few other things ahead of it, LOL

23.) DParker - 10/28/2015

Since the thread is already hijacked....

I must have missed out on a previous thread sometime. Am I to understand you're feeding feral cats or something?

24.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

Hijacked? What are you talking about? LOL


I've been adopted by a gang of cats born in the wild, now semi-domesticated over several years in varying degrees ranging from "can't-touch-me and you never will" to full-on "give me a belly rub now, dammit." Then add in the occasional stray and semi-wild cat and you've got (almost) the full spectrum of my animal welfare program that I've got going on here, LOL.

25.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35824]...in varying degrees ranging from "can't-touch-me and you never will" to full-on "give me a belly rub now, dammit."[/QUOTE]

Are you talking about your exes or your cats?

26.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35822]with cut-outs for the tube and for the cats' big fat heads. [/QUOTE]


LOL!

27.) Swamp Fox - 10/28/2015

With the exes there's a third category as well: "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

:tap:


:groan:

28.) DParker - 10/28/2015

[QUOTE=bluecat;35825]Are you talking about your exes or your cats?[/QUOTE]

I don't think cats can get restraining orders.

29.) bluecat - 10/28/2015

:ach:

30.) DParker - 10/28/2015

From their [URL="https://www.picobrew.com/About/FAQ.cshtml"]FAQ[/URL]:

[quote][b]Can I brew gluten-free beer?[/b]

Absolutely. Our library is equipped with our favorite gluten-free recipes and you can create your own recipes using our recipe software as well. For those who wish to brew gluten-free recipes, common grains to use are buckwheat, millet, rice, corn, and quinoa. It is important to note, barley is a common ingredient used in liquid yeast so it is best to stick with dry yeast if you are avoiding gluten![/quote]

That they even [I]acknowledged[/I] this question...let alone answered in the affirmative...is a deal-killer.


OK, all of the snark aside....

Although I think it's an over-priced novelty item, I do admire the innovation behind it, assuming it actually works as advertised. I also like the fact that it's Arduino-based (the family of little open-source microcontrollers that I've been toying around with lately for my electronics projects).

31.) DParker - 10/30/2015

The next time you want something thirst-quenching with the potency of beer...but aren't really in the mood for beer...give this stuff a try. "Not Your Father's Root Beer":



Unlike other alcohol-containing sodas I've tried, this stuff actually tastes like root beer. [I]Good[/i] root beer, even.

32.) Swamp Fox - 10/30/2015

Ha! I've never seen it around here but I saw an article about it somewhere within the last few weeks.

I'm guessing you find it in stores somewhere, vs. having to go to a bar for it?

33.) DParker - 10/30/2015

I've gotten it at both the corner supermarket as well as my favorite booze boutique.

34.) Swamp Fox - 10/30/2015

That must be one of the many benefits of living in the Ft. Worth-Arlington-Dallas metroplexiburb...:wink...LOL

I only skimmed the article...Isn't it something like 10% alcohol? Wine is something like 12 and beer around 6?

As long as it tastes good...LOL

35.) DParker - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35883]That must be one of the many benefits of living in the Ft. Worth-Arlington-Dallas metroplexiburb...:wink...LOL[/QUOTE]

Well, that and the andouille sausage selection.

One of the trends among craft beers is higher alcohol content. Most of the ones we've tried during our tasting at the local breweries have averaged in the 6-10% range.

And, if you're going to charge $9.99 for 6 x 12 oz bottles of root beer you'd better deliver a kick at least as potent as good beer.

36.) Swamp Fox - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=DParker;35884]Well, that and the andouille sausage selection.

[/QUOTE]

:-) :tu:

37.) Wild Bob - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=DParker;35880]The next time you want something thirst-quenching with the potency of beer...but aren't really in the mood for beer...give this stuff a try. "Not Your Father's Root Beer":



Unlike other alcohol-containing sodas I've tried, this stuff actually tastes like root beer. [I]Good[/i] root beer, even.[/QUOTE]

I'm with you on that - it's good stuff! I had some this past summer when I traveled back east and enjoyed it, I could only do one at at time - but when I had the taste for it...boy did it hit the spot! :tu: I also had a similar root beer made by the Coney Island Brewing Co., they call theirs "Hard Root Beer.'

38.) Jon - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35824]Hijacked? What are you talking about? LOL


I've been adopted by a gang of cats born in the wild, now semi-domesticated over several years in varying degrees ranging from "can't-touch-me and you never will" to full-on "give me a belly rub now, dammit." Then add in the occasional stray and semi-wild cat and you've got (almost) the full spectrum of my animal welfare program that I've got going on here, LOL.[/QUOTE]

I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I have 3 unidentified "house" style cats on my trail cams all over my property. I'm not a big cat lover nor do I want them on my property at all. I've set live traps and have caught and "relocated" one orange cat with 2 others unaccounted for. One other is a Tiger looking cat with no tail and the third is a normal looking Tiger cat.
Would you like these cats to be shipped south to your rehab facility or should I continue my plan of "relocating"?

39.) Jon - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=DParker;35880]The next time you want something thirst-quenching with the potency of beer...but aren't really in the mood for beer...give this stuff a try. "Not Your Father's Root Beer":



Unlike other alcohol-containing sodas I've tried, this stuff actually tastes like root beer. [I]Good[/i] root beer, even.[/QUOTE]

I'm not a big fan of root beer BUT I was with the wife at her HS reuinion last month and they had this on tap. It was very good and the draft version is about 10%, she didn't know this and proceeded to get silly. We then bought the bottles and to her dismay, it's only 5.9%.......

40.) DParker - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=Jon;35912]I'm not a big fan of root beer BUT I was with the wife at her HS reuinion last month and they had this on tap. It was very good and the draft version is about 10%, she didn't know this and proceeded to get silly. We then bought the bottles and to her dismay, it's only 5.9%.......[/QUOTE]

Yeah...but that stainless steel mug holds 28 oz, so I was forced (FORCED, I tell you!) to open 2 bottles. So I'm going to use creative math and say that's 11.8%. :grin:

41.) Swamp Fox - 10/30/2015

Ha! I'll have to look for that if I ever see it in the stores.

I think alcohol content for various classes of beverages is set by each individual state. At least that was my understanding of what used to be the case. So maybe a "beer" or a "malt beverage" or whatever category this stuff falls into in Delaware---when sold in bottles from a store---yadda yadda regulatory language ---can't exceed 6 % or something. But tap root beer can, maybe.

I remember way back there was some place I lived or spent time that sold only "3-2" beer (3.2% alcohol) instead of the regular 6%. Seems like when I was a young whippersnapper, Coors especially had the reputation of either being 3-2 ---or making a lot of it---or maybe it was that Coors was supposed to be 6% when you couldn't get anything other than 3-2---and therefore it (Coors) was worthy of smuggling over the state line. I kinda think it was the latter, because getting your hands on Coors was a big score back then...I do remember that, LOL.

42.) Swamp Fox - 10/30/2015

[QUOTE=Jon;35911]Would you like these cats to be shipped south to your rehab facility or should I continue my plan of "relocating"?[/QUOTE]



I'm not accepting any shipments of cats at this time.


LOL

43.) DParker - 10/31/2015

OK..so here's one of those things that every fiber of my being tells me I should hate...but I don't. In fact we (my wife, my son and I) agree is the best thing we've had recently. "Evil Cream Soda" Spiced Ale. It's essentially dessert in a glass...from the [URL="http://www.audacitybrewhouse.com/"][i]Audacity Brew House[/i][/URL] in Denton, TX.

44.) Swamp Fox - 11/01/2015

45.) DParker - 11/01/2015

As if that weren't bad enough, we're now in a local hipster coffee bar because the brewery's barmaid assured me that their piesr are "a religious experience". And she was kinda' cute, so of course I took her advice. If I get out of here without killing one of the pajama boy patrons and doing 20-life I'll let you know if she led me astray.

46.) Swamp Fox - 11/01/2015

LOL...


Bless you, my son...

47.) Swamp Fox - 11/01/2015

48.) DParker - 11/01/2015

You know, I'd edit those posts for spelling errors, but the voices in my head won't let me, seeing as how they're the direct result of flights and pints and therefor come by honestly.

Speaking of which...the hipster coffee joint actually did flights of pie. Four different tart-sized seasonal pies (butternut squash, chocolate creme, apple cobber and raspberry chocolate). Is this a great country, or what? It wasn't quite like playing Black Sabbath at 78 speed (bonus points for anyone who gets that reference)...but they were damned tasty. Oh, and no blood was spilled. At least, not by me.

49.) Swamp Fox - 11/01/2015

So you didn't see God today...There's always tomorrow....:wink


In vino veritas....

"[I]I know...Let's have a spelling contest[/I]." :grin:


By the way....The fact that somebody thought butternut squash pie was a good idea is precisely the reason I'm a cake guy...:wink

50.) DParker - 11/01/2015

One word: Pumpkin.

51.) Swamp Fox - 11/01/2015

Only good for carving, or with massive amounts of sugar, cinnamon and Miracle Whip...

:wink

52.) billy b - 11/01/2015

[QUOTE=DParker;35946]One word: Pumpkin.[/QUOTE]

Two words.............EWWWWWW YUUUUUUCK:shocked:

53.) DParker - 11/01/2015

Heathens, the both of you!

54.) Swamp Fox - 11/06/2015

^^^^^^This was attached to an article I saw the other day about why they call it "root beer"...Completely random...People must be writing about root beer all of a sudden these days.

Anyway, I thought this might be a warning not to let your kids drink too much of it.....

55.) Swamp Fox - 11/06/2015

Yikes! I'm seeing double!


Damn you, A&W!

56.) DParker - 11/06/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;35947]Only good for carving, or with massive amounts of sugar, cinnamon and Miracle Whip...

:wink[/QUOTE]

We have a one of those routines in my office where people sign up to bring in snacks (or even more elaborate stuff) for everyone every Friday. Today the lady whose turn it was went seasonally-crazy and brought in more pumpkin-based food items than I thought were even possible. Muffins, breads, candies, preserves, waffles....it just goes on and on like Bubba from [I]Forest Gump[/I], only with pumpkin instead of shrimp.

The best part of the whole thing was the pumpkin soup. A thick, savory pumpkin base with corn, bell peppers and various and assorted seasonings. Holy crap....it was good. I need to see if I can reproduce it.

57.) Swamp Fox - 11/06/2015

A really good-looking blonde with very nice tracts of land got me to pay perfectly good money for a six-pack of pumpkin beer at the grocery store during a promotion last year or the year before.

I hope I run into her again because I want to give her a good spanking.


:wink

58.) DParker - 11/06/2015

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;36161]A really good-looking blonde with very nice tracts of land got me to pay perfectly good money for a six-pack of pumpkin beer at the grocery store during a promotion last year or the year before.

I hope I run into her again because I want to give her a good spanking.


:wink[/QUOTE]

Was her name "Zoot"?

59.) Swamp Fox - 11/06/2015

It could have been her identical twin sister, Dingo...Which now I have to go take a cold shower...

Anyway, I wouldn't kick either of them out of the castle for shining a grail-shaped beacon from the tower...