118 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

I was surprised to see some many beers being brewing all over the place with them.  I am not sure if these are all bought units or a demo unit that moves around but quite a bit in the US.

 

scroll to the bottom

 

where am I scrollin' to?

[HVB]

look again.  For some reason the link did not stay

 

https://www.picobrew...ewingnew.cshtml

[Murphy]

look again.  For some reason the link did not stay

 

https://www.picobrew...ewingnew.cshtml

 

thanks, I went to Denny's blog and didn't see shite so I sat here scratching my head.

[positiveContact]

wow - all over the world!  that's pretty neat actually.

[denny]

yeah - the problem is that someone willing to spend that much is probably already deep into the hobby.  and someone not that into it yet wouldn't really see the value in it.  it would have to be the friend of a homebrewer who is into it enough but doesn't have their own equipment.

 

Not that I disagree with the price point being an issue for some, based on what I know of their marketing approach it's not really an issue for their market.  I think you guys are projecting your own prejudices rather than looking at it from their point of view.

[denny]

I was surprised to see some many beers being brewing all over the place with them.  I am not sure if these are all bought units or a demo unit that moves around but quite a bit in the US.

 

scroll to the bottom

 

https://www.picobrew...ewingnew.cshtml

 

99.5% of them are real purchasers.  I'm not certain there are more than 3-4 demos pout there.  If you saw their forum you'd realize there are quite a few users.

[HVB]

99.5% of them are real purchasers.  I'm not certain there are more than 3-4 demos pout there.  If you saw their forum you'd realize there are quite a few users.

I did not even notice they had a forum to be honest.  I was just amazed at all the beers all over that map.

[positiveContact]

Not that I disagree with the price point being an issue for some, based on what I know of their marketing approach it's not really an issue for their market.  I think you guys are projecting your own prejudices rather than looking at it from their point of view.

 

who is their market?  if not for you I might not have heard of this thing.

[3rd party JKor]

I don't think the price point is an issue.  Just like the price point of a BMW isn't an issue.  I sure as hell ain't buying a BMW, but they're all over the road.

 

The price point is an issue if you expect this to be the next generation brewing system in the hobby, the Honda Accord, so to speak.  If they've done any kind of market research I'm sure that idea was dispelled immediately.  They're going after the HUGE new market of craft beer lovers and banking on the fact that by sheer size of that market (and very strong growth in the acceptance of beer as a high end beverage) that they'll pick off a percentage of people who wouldn't have taken up homebrewing due to the perceived level of difficulty, but still want to craft their own beer.  I think it's a pretty good idea.  I don't know if it will ultimately get there, but I can't fault their thought process.

 

Think about these people that are spending hundreds of dollars to attend beer launch parties, traveling all over to visit breweries as vacation destinations, etc.  There are a lot of people out there spending thousands and thousands of dollars per year on beer and beer-related stuff.  There's a market for this.

 

Guv, you're about as cheap as they come, so I wouldn't use yourself as any kind of gauge for the beer market at large.  Just look at the electric breweries people are building nowadays.  Those are probably $2000 or more when all is said and done.  If you go on a forum like HBT there are new ones popping up every day.  People out there have money to spend.

 

sell 'em

 

 

Oh no!  They have you on the payroll!!! 

[positiveContact]

Guv, you're about as cheap as they come, so I wouldn't use yourself as any kind of gauge for the beer market at large.  Just look at the electric breweries people are building nowadays.  Those are probably $2000 or more when all is said and done.  If you go on a forum like HBT there are new ones popping up every day.  People out there have money to spend.

 

I prefer thrifty!  Really I'll spend money on something high quality when I think it's worth it but you can do a lot on the cheap

 

I mean, I did run plumbing and install cabinets, sink, counter etc. in my garage.  I had to pay the plumber to rough that stuff in.  I could have done without it but it was DEF worth the money to have a sink in my brew area.  practically life changing.  this is the sort of thing where I'll spend the money.

 

I do think I have a pretty good grasp of the typical homebrewer and the market for these things is generally not us.  Most of us have one or more of the following reasons to not buy one of these:

 

1) we want to make larger batches

2) we already have equipment

3) if we liked automation we'd also probably like making the automated system ourselves

 

For me it's mostly #1.  If I could make 10 gallon batches with this machine it would be something to consider from the perspective of a guy who could always use more time.  The equipment this would replace doesn't cost that much so no major loss there.  I don't really want to design my own automation system so that's not an issue for me.  I'm not 100% convinced at this point it would save a lot of time though.  A lot of the actual brewing process is waiting around as it is.  Most of the work is in set up (getting equipment out and measuring ingredients) and clean up.

Edited by Evil_Morty, 10 March 2015 - 01:02 PM.

[positiveContact]

I don't think the price point is an issue.  Just like the price point of a BMW isn't an issue.  I sure as hell ain't buying a BMW, but they're all over the road.

 

The price point is an issue if you expect this to be the next generation brewing system in the hobby, the Honda Accord, so to speak.  If they've done any kind of market research I'm sure that idea was dispelled immediately.  They're going after the HUGE new market of craft beer lovers and banking on the fact that by sheer size of that market (and very strong growth in the acceptance of beer as a high end beverage) that they'll pick off a percentage of people who wouldn't have taken up homebrewing due to the perceived level of difficulty, but still want to craft their own beer.  I think it's a pretty good idea.  I don't know if it will ultimately get there, but I can't fault their thought process.

 

Think about these people that are spending hundreds of dollars to attend beer launch parties, traveling all over to visit breweries as vacation destinations, etc.  There are a lot of people out there spending thousands and thousands of dollars per year on beer and beer-related stuff.  There's a market for this.

 

they are def going for a little slice of the craft beer crazed folk - but who are these people?  I've actually shown this thing to some people I know who really like craft beer (and spend a lot on it and have kegerators and the like) and they all balk at the price tag.  I guess my friends aren't high rollers

 

eta:  maybe I can get my brother to buy one

Edited by Evil_Morty, 10 March 2015 - 12:58 PM.

[neddles]

I've known some people with pretty expensive espresso machines that never get used. I think there is definitely a market for this thing, just not here. Hell I don't even automate my daily pot of coffee.

[positiveContact]

I've known some people with pretty expensive espresso machines that never get used. I think there is definitely a market for this thing, just not here. Hell I don't even automate my daily pot of coffee.

 

is this thing the next fancy stand mixer?  the next counterspace hog?

[denny]

who is their market?  if not for you I might not have heard of this thing.

 

As I said in the review, people who are short on time, who brew indoors in small spaces, breweries who want a system to develop recipes on, disabled people...

I've known some people with pretty expensive espresso machines that never get used. I think there is definitely a market for this thing, just not here. Hell I don't even automate my daily pot of coffee.

 

AAMOF, my sister in law has an espresso machine that cost almost as much as the Zymatic.

[Murphy]

I know at least 2 people that are considering this, myself and a friend of mine, and I would certainly own one if I was still child free (he's in the same boat as well, even has 1 on the way).

[3rd party JKor]

I've known some people with pretty expensive espresso machines that never get used. I think there is definitely a market for this thing, just not here. Hell I don't even automate my daily pot of coffee.

 

 

Yup, if they could just cover the craft beer market in the same way that high end espresso machines cover the coffee market, they'd have met their goal.

 

Heck, I have about $4,000 espresso setup, of course I paid $500 for it used and rehabbed it ).  Maybe I'll wait until one of these hipster clutzes gets bored and/or breaks their zymatic and I'll grab it for a fraction of the price. 

[positiveContact]

Yup, if they could just cover the craft beer market in the same way that high end espresso machines cover the coffee market, they'd have met their goal.

 

Heck, I have about $4,000 espresso setup, of course I paid $500 for it used and rehabbed it ).  Maybe I'll wait until one of these hipster clutzes gets bored and/or breaks their zymatic and I'll grab it for a fraction of the price. 

 

now you're talking!

[positiveContact]

this thing is pretty slick though.  watching the video on their website now.

[positiveContact]

their brew master seems great.  really knowledgeable lady.  seems like she's already figuring out ways to kind of "hack" this thing to do what she wants.

 

they are winning me over with these videos!

 

okay, I'm sold if I didn't want to make big batches.  buy this thing up people!

Edited by Evil_Morty, 11 March 2015 - 11:52 AM.

[HVB]

I guess I should not watch the videos 😊