How It Works

The Personal Beer Station (PBS) provides an easy automated way to brew your own beer. The general all-grain process is briefly outlined below. For brewing tips, details on operating the PBS and other brewing methods, please refer to the User Manual.

Select a recipe (or enter your own) and start the process. Optionally, you can set a delay before the machine starts. The PBS will proceed to fill the tank with the required volume of water and begin heating it to the desired temperature.

The PBS utilizes the Brew-In-A-Bag (BIAB) mashing technique.
Insert the mashing bag into the Upper port and put crushed malt into the bag. Stir it with a spoon and press the “Done” button. This step takes 5-10 minutes.
Mashing time varies depending on the recipe (typically approx. one hour).

You may use iodine to perform a mash conversion test to make sure that mashing is completed. If the result is negative, continue the mashing.

Once mashing is completed, remove the grain from the tank with grain extractor, then remove the mashing bag.
This step takes 10-15 minutes.

Start boiling. The boiling usually takes between 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the recipe.

During the boiling process, hops need to be added to the machine (placed in a hopping bag).
Typically, homebrewers use 1 to 3 hoppings per batch, depending on the recipe.

Try adding other ingredients for an interesting flavour profile: honey, molasses, sugar, syrup, spices, herbs, fruits, coffee beans, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, shredded coconuts, etc. Insoluble ingredients must be placed in a bag.

Once boiling is finished, the PBS automatically starts cooling the wort in the tank until the temperature becomes comfortable for the yeast.
You may cover the Upper port by a sanitized lid to prevent contamination.

You may measure the original gravity of the wort with a hydrometer (shown) or a refractometer.

When the wort is cooled down enough, the yeast must be added.
The yeast can be in a powdered or liquid form. You can simply pitch or pour the yeast into the Upper port or use a preliminary created starter.

Install the airlock and start the fermentation process. The PBS will maintain the desired temperature in the tank. Typically, the fermentation lasts from 6 to 21 days, depending on the recipe and the yeast.
Wait for the end of airlock activity and let rest for 2 to 3 more days. The end of fermentation can be also detected by measuring the final gravity with a hydrometer or a refractometer.

After fermentation, the beer needs to be dispensed into sanitized bottles or a keg from the Out port. If you want the beer to have natural carbonation, add a dextrose-based (or other) syrup.

The bottled or kegged beer needs to reside in its container for conditioning for several days (typically 1 week for ales and longer for lagers). Ales must be conditioned at room temperatures, lagers in refrigerator.
Conditioning is required for carbonation and clarity of the beer, as well as obtaining a richer flavor profile.

Put the conditioned beer in a refrigerator and keep it there before consumption. Allow it to be cooled for at least 24 hours. Then enjoy!