https://arstechnica....d-as-it-sounds/
I know Denny has already reviewed this pretty extensively but this is kind of an interesting review since it's from a homebrew "outsider".
But before we dive into the details of the Zymatic, let’s establish why you’d want to brew your own beer. Brewing beer is pointless and time-consuming to some, so spending money on a rig like the PicoBrew Zymatic would be equally (or more) pointless and dumb to those people. My colleagues and I agree that in general, it’s better to just buy a beer that someone else made than to waste your time trying to brew your own beer if your number one goal is efficiency. Even if the grain and hops are relatively cheap, it’s a time-consuming exercise with a big opportunity cost.
But brewing beer is a fun, crafty thing to do. It’s like knitting. Lots of people knit scarfs and sweaters even though they could probably go out and buy a cheaper/less-time-consuming knit scarf or sweater at Kohl's or something. They do it because it gives them pride to make something and they enjoy the repetitive and detail-oriented nature of the craft. Personally, I hate knitting, but I like brewing beer and writing and cooking and sewing and other little hobby-like things for the same reason people like knitting. Doing these things doesn't always save me money (although sometimes it does) and it certainly never saves me time. I like to do them anyway.
At an MSRP of $2,000, the PicoBrew Zymatic is definitely for the kind of hobbyist brewers who have honed their craft to the point where they're really, really good at it. Maybe those brewers want to take things to the next level and do some rapid recipe prototyping before they rent access to big-time brewery equipment. Of course, if could also work for the casual hobbyist who has a ton of disposable income since it’s not a complicated machine to operate. In fact, for all the boxes and components, setup was surprisingly easy and quick (as long as you read the instructions).
I could see my brother buying something like this in that he likes beer a lot and has disposable income. He also knows he could ask me questions.