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u/ExaminationKlutzy194 Beginner May 14 '26
There’s a YouTube channel called BeerChef. Another called malt miller. They are doing some stuff using Pinter but not Pinter kits; grains and other extract kits.
I like my Pinter. But it’s not exactly a huge time commitment from a hobby standpoint. It’s like 10 minutes of work and 2 weeks of waiting.
If you wanted to home brew, you could get into the “hobby” with a few gallon craft a brew kit or a simple fermentation kit from BrewDemon or similar.
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u/letswatchmovies May 14 '26
More info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/19fcni8/brewing_in_a_pinter/
Personally, i think I would rather brew one-gallon batches in my apartment using all-grain than use pinter or extract, but ymmv
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u/Positronic_Matrix May 15 '26
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
You will be paying premium prices for something that sits awkwardly between real homebrewing and simply buying craft beer. The biggest complaint I’ve seen online is the recurring cost of the proprietary Pinter Packs. A normal refill typically makes about 10 pints, but users often calculate the real cost at roughly craft-pub pricing or higher once ingredient kits, shipping, and subscriptions are included.
Find a good local brewery and support them. It’ll be the same price, you’ll have more variety, and you’ll not wind up with a $200 paperweight once you get bored with it.
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u/sloppothegreat May 15 '26
Wtf those things are $200 now? You can find used AIO electric systems for less than that
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u/kelryngrey May 15 '26
Yeah, the positive, "Eh, go for it." Comments on here are mind boggling. This is a gimmick and an expensive one. You can buy extract and specialty grain kits that require almost no effort and far less expensive equipment. What a stupid waste.
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u/ccs004 May 14 '26
I enjoy mine. I used to brew all grain 5 gallon batches, but I haven't had time for that since having kids. I like that the "brew day" is only about 30 min instead of hours. It would be nice to have a bigger selection of beers, or the ability to customize brews more, but there are several other flash brewing kits on the market that work. I have had good luck using the official pinter kits as well as the brew demon 2 gallon kits. In the future I plan on trying out some of the morebeer kits as well. There are also several other kits in the UK that work in the pinter as well (depending on where you are).
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u/srbearit May 14 '26
Just to add some more information: 1) I can’t see myself drinking 50 12oz bottles of beer in a few weeks, one thing that drew me to a system like a Pinter is that it really makes about a 12 pack. It’s just me I don’t need or would finish a half keg.
2) I don’t mind upgrading in the future, just wondering if it’s a good way to get my feet wet. I don’t mind investing in equipment just don’t want to buy a close to thousand dollar setup and use it once. Again I found a Pinter for a good deal ($60 for the equipment and a pilsner kit, they got it as a gift and decided they would rather go buy beer off the shelf)
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u/ExaminationKlutzy194 Beginner May 14 '26
You can always buy it, try it, and resell it if it’s not your glass of beer.
But you can also look at Amazon or online homebrew retailers and find 1 gallon extract kits and get an experience there too.
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u/deckerhand0 May 14 '26
I brew 5 gallons. I’m not a big drinker it takes me a month or longer to finish what I brew. You can age them. Depending on the style it get better with age
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u/VTMongoose BJCP May 14 '26
I'm a fairly hardcore homebrewer and I have a friend with a Pinter and I think it's the perfect device for people who just want something turnkey that can make a gallon of drinkable beer without hardly any effort. Proper homebrewing is way, way more effort and equipment. The absolute minimum you need to make real homebrew is a kettle, BIAB, a keg with a spunding valve, and a few hours of time. The pinter, all you need is the unit and about 10 minutes.
The one thing that's fairly critical that they don't tell you in the instructions is that you really need to use high purity water. Tap water is simply not going to work, the chlorine and chloramines will ruin the end product to anyone with a reasonable sensitivity. RO/distilled water is ideal. I just give my friend some of mine.
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u/Azraelius- May 14 '26
Pretty good advice here! One addition is they can use tap water (assuming it isn’t very poor quality) by treating with a campden tablet. I boil and add a tablet to ensure deoxygenation and chlorine removal. Small cost, very small footprint - I used that with my kettle in an apartment, plus a nylon bag and bottling bucket fermenter. Biggest downside to this approach is having to bottle/carb everything. BUT, that’s part of the learning process!
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u/deckerhand0 May 14 '26
With distilled or r/o the poster is going to need to learn water salts. I would say Poland springs would be a better. It’s a ph of 7 the mineral profile isn’t too crazy for the most part it’s good with many styles
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u/tastiefreeze May 14 '26
You'll outgrow this very fast. After my first bre I realized anything that I'm waiting multiple weeks to drink I'm going to want to brew at least five gallons of at a time.
For context, 5 gallons is approx 50 12oz bottles.
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u/Squeezer999 May 14 '26
i would just brew with morebeer flash brew kits instead of using a pinter
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u/ExaminationKlutzy194 Beginner May 15 '26
Yeah. The 2 gallon more beer flash kit and some bottles might be just the thing for the starter. You are probably in for under $100.
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u/PhraugPaste May 15 '26
The brewer in me says “My sister had an ez-bake oven”. You are not really brewing if you’re buying a little packet that you put in a kitchen appliance.
The beer lover in me says, “Fresh beer, a lot less money, cleaning and hassle. Sign me up!
I personally love having a hobby that makes my friends happy. I love the struggles, learning, trials and triumphs of brewing. I’ve dumped many kegs, made so many mistakes and made a lot of bad beer. I’ve also learned so much and enjoy the challenge. I’m like Lizardsandrocks, I don’t do many things without giving 100% (unless I’m giving blood) I have 5 beers on tap in my garage and beer in just waiting to be tapped.
There is a YouTuber named ‘The Apartment Brewer’ he actually has a guide on brewing in an apartment. He’s a fantastic resource.
If you just want to get good water, tear open a packet and tell your friends you brewed beer, that’s cool too. I just don’t really consider that a hobby.
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u/EfficiencyFirm191 Aug 12 '26
It is not less money. There is never a point of returns on this where the money spent will eventually cost less long term than paying for the pints from other sources
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u/CodeplayerX May 14 '26
People are going to say different things about what is and isn't brewing and the quality of pinters, but really it comes down to you. Some people have the time, experience, and resources to chop up veggies, create a stock from bones, and mix ingredients to make a soup. Some people have the time, experience, and resources to open some cans and heat the contents on the stove. Both made soup. Soup from scratch is likely going to taste better and have more room for adjustment in future iterations if done right, but if you're lacking in one of those three factors you run more risk of making something that needs to be tossed than with the canned soup, which is pretty consistent. This is the same thing with pinters. Regardless of anything else, you made beer. If a pinter is what you can do now, then that's what you should do.
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u/Sufficient-Yellow637 May 14 '26
I'm convinced mine was defective. I suspect the airlock was bad. I was back and forth with customer service/troubleshooting for several months. They refused to do an exchange so after 3-4 failed batches my pinter is now landfill. Having much more success with a basic old fashioned brew kit.
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u/AdmrlBenbow May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I usually over brew a 5g batch so i can fill the pinter. Not hard because i am fermenting 4 gal in the keg. Sometimes i separate the wort for the “whirlpool” hops. Pinter is ingenious design as far as the all in one carbonation and tap. Its a fun way to take some tap beer in a cooler to a get-together.
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u/toolatealreadyfapped May 14 '26
I am NOT trying to be a gatekeeper, a purist, or present an Any True Scottsman argument. What follows is purely for ME, and how I approach the hobby ...
The Pinter system feels like a box of Slice & Bake cookies, with the toaster oven included in the $150 package.
If my goal was fresh cookies at home, yeah that'll do the trick. But they're unlikely to be anything better than from a bakery. And that's really expensive. And it's a long turnaround for just 12 cookies.
If my goal was to learn how to cook, did I really learn anything? Everything came pre measured and ready to go. I just put them on a tray and into the oven.
It's a great product for some people. I just can't see how I would find any value in it. I enjoy the process. And this cuts out all the interesting parts.
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u/studhand May 14 '26
I'm on the same page, I don't see the point. What's the difference between spending 20 minutes with the pinter and buying a 12 pack? To me it's a bit of a gimic.
If I was starting out I'd be looking for a used Robobrew, Grainfather, Vevor, brewzilla or any of the other all in one electric units. Then I'd buy a small keggerator and a 4 5 gallon kegs. I'd build a stand for over the keggerator that holds all my grain and brewing equipment. Brew 4 gallon batches in the kegs, then transfer to a keg for serving. This lets you craft recipes, and won't take up a ton of space.
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u/deckerhand0 May 14 '26
Of all the brewing equipment/ systems I’ve seen it’s the simplest. I got one but just to use as a cask system with my all grain brewing when I brew British style beers. Like Mr.beer or brew demon it’s good to get your feet wet. Just don’t expect to hit it out of the park all the time. I would recommend getting. Starsan for sanitizer.
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u/EstimateBeneficial47 May 14 '26
As a homebrewer (15 yrs+) I saw this a d for a moment though it was cool. I do most kits ,not whole grain. I love brewing a batch of beer which you bottle about 48 bottles. As a now retired person I've found i also use it to make sourdough beer bread. The initial equipment setup is a wee bit costly but generally you don't have to replace it. Facebook has people selling equipment to lower cost . Take the leap and if you like real beer beer not stuff like bud or Miller. You'll thank me later. ✌️ ❤️ 🦀 and 🍺. Now I want a beer and its in the fridge.
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u/CaptainTruelove May 15 '26
Pinters are fun, but you won't really be learning the beer making process with them using their packs. You can however use it as a pressurized fermentation and dispensing vessel for your own brew recipes.
That said they seem to regularly go on sale, so there's little reason to get a used pinter.
Cleanliness is the first step to good beer. Don't want to inherit someone else's problems.
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u/leemer29 May 15 '26
Personally, I don't think it's worth getting. You can start brewing with a 1 gallon bottle if you like. Very little investment necessary. Scale recipes accordingly and you will be fine.
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u/colinjo3 May 15 '26
I like the idea of it but I haven't gotten good tasting beer out of mine after 3 kits.
Others seem to have better luck. Kits are too expensive for what they are.
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u/ColinSailor May 15 '26
The Pinter was great for getting me back into brewing but 10 pints is never enough so I have moved on to all grain brewing and now don't use the Pinters at all. Go for it Nd expect good beer too but don't be surprised if you are back on market place in a few months buying second hand equipment and enjoying the benefits of larger brews with more control and massive flexibility. Brewing is a cleaning hobby for people who are prepared to wait a few weeks for great beer (far better usually than commercial beers)
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u/assetstoburn May 15 '26
I started small with extract 1 gallon batches. As I brewed more I upgraded along the way little by little over the years. I do 5 gallon all grain now. Glad I started slowly tho so I could learn the different ways and make mistakes along the way.
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u/Lizardsandrocks May 14 '26
I think it depends on what kind of hobby person you are and what your budget looks like. I personally do things essentially all out, I would not be satisfied using packs and brewing like 10-12 beers at a time, just the way I am. It can be done cheaper if you diy a bit, but less streamlined/efficient. You may outgrow the pinter quickly if you decide its a very fun hobby.