Microbrewing has gotten smarter, thanks to companies like PicoBrew and their automated brewers.

We were impressed by the Picobrew Zymatic for big batches and the Pico Home Brewer (now updated to the Pico C and Pico Pro) for home brewing. Now PicoBrew is making a machine that's even smaller and more flexible than its Home Brewer.

Picobrew's Pico U is a multi-purpose beverage brewer that builds on the flexibility of its previous brewers. Currently, Picobrew home brewing systems can do more than make craft beer. They can cook food sous vide, either with built-in support or with an adapter. They can also distill alcohol with the optional PicoStill add-on. The Picobrew U goes one better by adding a coffee maker attachment to the device.

A filter basket attaches to the front of the Pico U, letting the system reroute its water flow into the basket to brew coffee in addition to beer. It can brew single cups or up to a liter of coffee at once. It can also make teas and other beverages, fermented and otherwise.

The Pico U will be available in two versions: the $249 Pico U Basic and the $299 Pico U Deluxe. The Basic model lacks the necessary Pico keg attachment and large step filter to brew beer, which is included in the Deluxe model.

Like earlier Picobrew products, the Pico U is getting crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where the Pico U Basic and Deluxe will be available for discounted prices of $169 and $189, respectively. While we're very leery of Kickstarters that promise physical hardware, Picobrew has established production capabilities.

Picobrew fans who already have a Pico C or Pico Pro can add coffee-making capabilities with a $99 upgrade bundle, which will be available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $49. Picobrew expects to ship the Pico U this fall.