The Craft Beer K-Cup Brewer is Here

Have you ever tried brewing your own beer? If you have, and have kept at it after discovering how difficult it is, you’re one of the tenacious ones. The mess, the smell, and the disappointment of a bad brew are certainly enough to kill home brew ambitions. But what if you could brew your own beer in a pod, like a Keureg machine? It’s not just a dream (or a nightmare) – The future of insta-pod craft beer is now.

PicoBrew’s “Pico” is its second generation home brewer, having evolved from the company’s first effort, the Zymatic. The original machine was large and nuanced, and required a brewer’s knowledge to operate. The Pico, however, is is about the size of a microwave, and can brew smaller 5 liter batches of beer in a mini-keg that fits in the fridge.

The Pico is currently in Kickstarter mode, and if you’re quick you can preorder your unit for half price – $499. After the Kickstarter, the machine’s price will jump to $1000.

To brew the beer, you use pre-measured packages of grains, yeast, and hops. Fill the chamber with water, put in the packages at the right times, and tell everyone you’ve been slaving over your own homebrew for months. You can certainly use your own recipe and add your own ingredients, but part of the fun is being able to add packets from one of the 50 particpating breweries like Rogue and Elysian.