Found this interesting. Think I’ll stick with my setup though.
The bread machine analogy is pretty spot on.
Years ago we got a bread machine, and went through a phase of making fresh bread almost daily. I never got the knack for properly kneeding, so my hand-made breads were always too tough or too crumbly. But the machine made consistently good, if oddly shaped bread every time. We got our money’s worth out of that machine, but the bread making phase passed, and today I couldn’t tell you where that thing is, and if I found it, I’m not sure if the recipes are with it. I like bread machines because I found bread making to be a PITA, and my results were not great.
I actually enjoy the beer brewing process, and find even a hectic brew day to be oddly relaxing. I think I would feel this machine, even if it worked perfectly, would be taking something away from me. But I can recognize there may be a niche market of people with $2000 burning a hole in their pockets for whom this could open the door to homebrew. I also feel the pull of “shiny new gizmo” but still, I’m going to pass on this one. Maybe when third or fourth rev gets the price down to Kureg levels…
I could totally see myself brewing the same exact recipe 16 times with different step mash times to see if people could tell the difference.
There was quite the heated debate about the merits of this thing when it launched on this forum.
I am in the camp that simply enjoys designing beer then drinking and sharing it. The execution of the brewday (the early mornings, the coffee, the collaboration, the camaraderie) is kind of fun, but it is work. Our 1/2 bbl system has a good bit of automation and a LOT of consistency, but we always want more. This machine seems to deliver that.
If one truly ‘enjoys’ using his duct-taped immersion chiller and other jerry-rigged items, then good for him. I think most of us like drinking beer though. Particularly beer that we execute, because its exactly what we want. If there is a machine out there (likely built and/or designed by a brewer) that can allow a brewer to dial all that in and deliver consistent results, then it is a good product.
Casting dispersion on this thing seems akin to a chef knocking another chef for not building his own sous-vide machine or pressure cooker. Its all about the beer, and if something can help people (with a bunch of cash to burn) make better beer, then I’m all for it.
I love mine! Here’s my review…http://www.experimentalbrew.com/blogs/d … ymatic-way
I still use my cooler/kettle setup, too, but the Zymatic is a fantastic machine that makes great beer. I don’t feel any disconnect with the brewing process at all. And cleanup is SO much easier!
Nice to see your review Denny. I can see getting one at some point, my biggest hang up is that I’d have to adjust from my current 10 gallon batch size. Trade off would be a far easier brew day done much more frequently vs a more labor intensive and time consuming but less frequent brew day.
It’ so easy to use and quick to cleanup that you can easily brew twice in a day. And you can always brew high gravity and dilute for a larger batch size.
In the mid-1970s I sat in on a briefing about a planned satellite system that could calculate your position anywhere on Earth within a couple of hundred meters. The projection was that eventually civilian models would be available (with much-reduced accuracy) for only a couple thousand dollars.
If technology continues to evolve at the current rate, and if you can wait a couple of decades Zymatic knock-offs should be available free with the purchase of two 55-pound bags of grain.
