PicoBrew's Pico Model C Put To The Test By Veteran Homebrewer Joe Formanek

In the more than 30 years I have been a homebrewer, I’ve seen remarkable progress in both the homebrewing knowledge base as well as available supplies. When I started, it wasn’t uncommon to find homebrew shops offering old hop pellets stored at room temp, stale extract, and contaminated dried yeast. The exceptional quality and range of ingredients offered now have contributed to a true revolution. Homebrewers today proudly make brews of the highest quality.

The new Pico Model C homebrew appliance fits well in this evolution of the hobby, using typical all-grain ingredients and standard brewing processes to create high-quality beverages.

The Pico C is the latest addition to PicoBrews’ portfolio of automated homebrew appliances, including the Pico Pro and the Zymatic. The Pico C is the simplest system, ideal for use by both brewing neophytes as well as more seasoned homebrewers. And it does a commendable job, although a basic understanding of the brewing process and fermentation is still necessary in order to be successful. 

How It Works
The Pico C arrives as a complete system, including the Pico C unit, fermenter, serving keg, and all associated hoses and accessories necessary for operation. Complete instructions are found online and must be printed if you want a hard copy to follow during your brewing. You will also need to purchase separately a PicoPak complete brewing “recipe kit”, which includes a self-contained pack of milled grain (the “grain pak”) along with a smaller “hops pak” and other ingredients, depending on your selected brew. You will then have everything that you need for brewing your first batch of beer, except for the necessary distilled water that you must supply.

There are over 100 PicoPak recipes available on the PicoBrew website for brewing a wide range of beer styles. Many of the PicoPaks have been vetted by award-winning breweries around the world that supplied their recipes to PicoBrew. These selections allow the homebrewer to make a very similar beer to those made commercially available from the breweries.

Additionally, you have the ability to create your own recipe using the FreeStyle PicoPak option on the website. Start with one of ten base recipes and then customize the grains, hops, yeast and dry hops to create your individualized PicoPak.

The Pico C traces its roots to the previous Pico Pro, with a few modifications that bring the price of the equipment down without sacrificing utility. The LED info panel is slightly smaller and molded plastic is used for the front plate instead of stainless steel. An improvement over the Pico Pro is that the company’s proprietary Brew Keg system has been simplified and is easier to clean as a result.