iGulu F1 home brewing kit review – can it make a good beer?

I don’t drink beer, and while that draws a lot of judgement upon me at times – it also precludes me from reviewing new beers, and I’ve got no way to understand the cool and intricate world of home brewing. But when the people at iGulu offered EFTM their new F1 Home Brewing kit – I knew I’d find someone in my life keen to give it a crack.

Enter my brother-in-law Brad – not only is he far more manly than me as a qualified electrician, solid handyman around the house, scuba diver and Ships captain – he drinks beer and does home brewing.

Annoyingly, it turns out he’s got the gift of the gab too, so I didn’t even need to write a review for him – here it is, in all it’s glory – a complete look at a Home Brewing system you can buy in the box at JB HiFi

IGulu F1 Review

I’ve been a regular home brewer for years. My usual setup is a full all-grain system, brew kettle, mash tun, the works, which cost me close to $2000 in total. It’s a rewarding hobby, but also a serious time investment. From start to finish, brewing a batch takes several hours of work and around 14 days of fermentation. Then comes bottling or kegging, adding another few days to two weeks, depending on your method. All up, it can be a month-long process, and even after all that effort, not every batch turns out great. Sometimes things just go wrong, and you end up pouring it down the drain.

I’ve also tried the Coopers home brew kits you can get from Big W or Woolworths. They’re convenient, but no matter how carefully you brew them, that unmistakable “home brew taste” always comes through, and not in a good way.

First Impressions of the IGulu

The IGulu system arrived well packaged, and the starter kit included two recipes: an apple cider and a Mosaic Pale Ale. I decided to start with the Pale Ale.

The process couldn’t have been simpler:

• Sanitise the IGulu keg
• Open the brew kit packet and add the ingredients
• Add good-quality water
• Stir
• Add yeast
• Scan the RFID card
• Hit start — and that’s it!

The whole setup took about 20 minutes, and in 10 days, I had beer, and not just drinkable beer, but really tasty beer!

The Tech in the iGulu F1 Home Brewer

The IGulu system is very tech-focused. You download the IGulu app, scan the RFID card from your brew kit, and the machine automatically takes care of the process. During fermentation, you can monitor the temperature, pressure, and overall progress right from your phone.

When fermentation is done, the machine’s orange lights turn green, your beer is ready! Just pop a standard SodaStream CO₂ canister into the back, and you’re pouring chilled, perfectly carbonated beer straight from the tap.

Pros

• Stylish design – Looks great on the kitchen bench
• Super easy to use – From setup to serving in just minutes
• Convenient recipe kits – Available online or at JB Hi-Fi
• Brew variety – Options for beer, cider, and wine
• Smart monitoring – The updated app works smoothly and lets you track your brew from anywhere
• Excellent results – Far better flavour than any Coopers or extract-style kit
• Responsive support – IGulu’s customer service was quick and detailed when I had questions about fermentation

Cons

• Small batch size – Only brews 3.8L at a time
• Sequential brewing – You need to finish or transfer your batch before starting another unless you buy extra kegs
• Limited creativity – You can’t customise your own recipes without the Master Mode Premium Card (around 0 AUD)
• Cost per litre – Recipe kits are pricey compared to traditional home brew or all-grain methods

Final Thoughts

The IGulu is perfect for new brewers, or for anyone who’s time-poor but still wants great-tasting home brew without the hassle, mess, and risk of failure.

If you’re after convenience, consistency, and genuinely good beer in a compact, stylish system, the IGulu delivers. But if you enjoy experimenting with recipes or brewing in bulk, it might feel a bit limited.