Pico Brewery on Kickstarter - some automated brewery shite

[real_beer]

. I somehow doubt that Spiedel will respond on price and my guess is they'll keep the BM positioned as the premium product in the sector.

I think so to BD.

I suppose that over the years I've noticed that most companies who've gone down the closed system path however well they start eventually get left well behind.

Apple went closed system, IBM clones quickly ruled the world with the open system approach, Apple still makes lots of money but its a drop in the ocean to the whole market. Apple eventually had to lower prices or die as IBM clones eventually developed software that offered just as many features as them and looked good too.

Then as their original OS became too expensive and unwieldy to keep developing for they took GNU/Linux behind closed doors and developed their next generation of OS etc. Have a look at how fast the world's adopted Android technology (also GNU/Linux based) because it's open source and offers many cheaper choices to implement than Apples iOS, and there's a world full of programmer's working around the clock fixing bug updates as they arise on the fly.

So my point is that in the long run most of the people will go with the open system option and if Spiedel want to keep sales up they will have to lower prices. As you say though I don't think they will lower prices as this is just a sideline opportunity for them atm and they're just making a bit of hay while the sun shines. I'd like to own a BM but I bet the way others have jumped on board developing these systems, Edit 'example - http://brewhaequipment.com/products/biac-all-in-one-brewing-system-package' if I sit back and wait 12 months other companies will be offering just as good a system with the same quality at a lower price, and I won't buy one just for the name if the qualities the same.

I think about it like a bulk buy. One person goes along to a laser cutter and asks for the price to have two 300mm perforated discs made. '$330 mate' is the reply. 'We can cut eight discs out of a sheet though, so if you take all eight we can do it for $200 a pair'. 'How about forty?' .................. etc ...... etc. 'Oh yes cheaper still, so how many would you like then?' And that is how I see it. I'm afraid BM's are priced as if one was making one at a time to order not mass produced.

I want to state I think the BM's are brilliant and when they came out were worth every penny, but now a bit overpriced.

I recently bought my wife a KIA Cerato Hatch for $19,990 http://www.kia.com.au/cars/small-cars/cerato-hatch/hatch its a great little car that's been tested for Australian conditions. Three months after getting it we got $1,000 factory rebate because the wife's got a seniors card. Over the years cars have got safer, more reliable, more efficient, more comfortable, more features, and cheaper to own than ever before. And they're generally priced to match production costs for profit levels.

Who knows? I may be wrong it's just my opinion, as they say 'Time will tell'.

 

[Rurik]

Yet someone else recently brought a BMW.

I recently bought my wife a KIA Cerato Hatch for $19,990 http://www.kia.com.au/cars/small-cars/cerato-hatch/hatch its a great little car that's been tested for Australian conditions. Three months after getting it we got $1,000 factory rebate because the wife's got a seniors card. Over the years cars have got safer, more reliable, more efficient, more comfortable, more features, and cheaper to own than ever before. And they're generally priced to match production costs for profit levels.

Who knows? I may be wrong it's just my opinion, as they say 'Time will tell'.

 

[real_beer]

Yet someone else recently brought a BMW.

I get what you mean Rurik. But the technology in a BMW is well in advance of the average family car and you pay for it. The BM is top quality but it's basically a couple of pots plates and a controller that was first to hit the market with a great idea. Now that people have warmed to the one vessel brewing systems other manufactures are going to build just as good a system for less money to knock them of their perch is what I'm saying. Not the budget builders but the top shelf ones. Unless of course they themselves decide to setup in the same price range and compete with extra features. I do note that Spiedel have made nice upgrades to their controller so that's nice added value.

I nearly splurged on one myself but when I started looking around and seeing some of the ever increasing new choice of systems hitting the market I decided to wait and see where things settle for a while. I don't think buying a BM is a bad decision by any means but I do think other systems offer more bang for buck, but that's just me, so we'll just have to agree to disagree on this topic I think.

 

[Rurik]

I get what you mean Rurik. But the technology in a BMW is well in advance of the average family car and you pay for it. The BM is top quality but it's basically a couple of pots plates and a controller that was first to hit the market with a great idea. Now that people have warmed to the one vessel brewing systems other manufactures are going to build just as good a system for less money to knock them of their perch is what I'm saying. Not the budget builders but the top shelf ones. Unless of course they themselves decide to setup in the same price range and compete with extra features. I do note that Spiedel have made nice upgrades to their controller so that's nice added value.

I nearly splurged on one myself but when I started looking around and seeing some of the ever increasing new choice of systems hitting the market I decided to wait and see where things settle for a while. I don't think buying a BM is a bad decision by any means but I do think other systems offer more bang for buck, but that's just me, so we'll just have to agree to disagree on this topic I think.

Having worked in the Homebrew industry and seeing the different build qualities the BM is in a league of its own in the single vessel market. I have done near 100 brews in mine and it still looks good which is more then I can say the the urn type thing that used to be my HLT which is the same urn type thing that the Grainfather is built off. Baring any unforeseen incidents I am pretty sure it will be going to my kids when I no longer need it and I brought it in my mid 20's. I don't think the Grainfather or the Keg King thing is going to do that.

Also the technology in a BMW is not that far in front of a better Toyota at near half the price but they are both cars hey.

The point is if you want to buy once cry once then the BM is the right choice as it not only has the build quality but also the backing. from an established brewing technology manufacture company. If you are happy to buy cheap then there are other options.

I hope someone does come along with a better product but I don't think it is going to be much cheaper, I looked into doing it my self but using induction heating and a different style of malt tube that would allow an actual sparg. Interestingly enough my BM can be upgraded with the newest feature with a controller up grade that would take me less then 5 min to install.

As you said we will just have to agree to disagree.

 

[dannymars]

I hope someone does come along with a better product but I don't think it is going to be much cheaper,

Brewha - BIAC --- true, not cheap

I'm not a fan of these plug n play things... I hate those nesspresso pieces of shit (and the Aldi equivalent)...

However, I do think this thing is pretty cool... Mainly due to the top-end brewery support and recipe kits.

would not buy tho

 

[Dave70]

Have you seen the price? It starts at $499 (early bird) and will retail at $1000.

It'll only let you brew using these brew packs and you can't use your own recipe to make your own custom beers. And it'll only make 5L of beer at a time.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1708005089/pico-craft-beer-at-home

I struggle to see the market for this, although I'm not a marketing bod so perhaps I'm missing something blindingly obvious. It's not like you're spending a couple of hundred on a coffee machine. It's a serious wedge of money. Surely if you're that interested in homebrewing to spend $500 or eventually $1000 then you'd get a more flexible system in place. And if you're not that serious about homebrewing but serious about beer, then $500-1000 is a shit load of 6 packs from your local bottle shop.

It's smart and clever and all that but possibly a bit too smart and clever.

To state the bleeding obvious, these things are basically the strap on / coffee pod / bread making machines of home brewing. Fair enough. Not everybody wants the considerable time investment associated with gathering the raw ingredients, formulating recipes and accruing a garage full of shit hardware etc. I can see a bunch of these units popping up on the second hand market once owners come to realize you'll be waiting another week at least for a beer after a rambunctious 8 pint 'session' with your mates. And forking out another $35 AUD for the kit.

Looks as though the kits a designed as single use units with built in computer sofistimacation so even if you wanted to use it to run small trial batches of your own recipes you couldn't. ERROR .

I'm actually surprised they didn't show the chick rolling up to her friends house with the mini keg in a basket attached to a retro fixie and filmed by via a skillfully piloted drone with a fish-eye lens. I recon the old Asian bloke is the only one in that promo whos wearing actual prescription glasses. I bet those guys have also grown their beards back - that would have been to obvious..

Dont get me wrong, I'm not some tech hating luddite. Technology makes our lives easier and longer on countless levels, but this kind of thing is like anti skill. Ok, technically you are 'brewing', just like when you whip up a White Wings chocolate cake you're also 'baking'.
For fucks sake. Soon enough we'll all be whirring about in electric driver-less cars, robbing our descendants of ever knowing the expertise of the handbrakie. Isn't that enough?