I expected a bevy of automated and AI-assisted kitchen tech here at CES 2024 (and here are all our favorite CES picks so far), but I didn't count on having to clandestinely chug the small amount of beer that wound up being the last demo of the day from an automated countertop beer maker. And yet, there I was sneaking a tiny sip (or two) of brew poured fresh from the tap at iGulu's F1 smart beer automated home brew appliance on the Las Vegas show floor before the convention cops shut them down -- apparently iGulu may not have locked down that beer license.
iGulu launched a new home brewing system this year.
While I had better luck -- and many more tastes -- with the Keurig-style ColdSnap ice cream maker, the illegal gulps of iGulu F1 brew were enough to wet my whistle. It had a nice, balanced flavor, a hoppy finish and was perfectly chilled, if not a tad under-carbonated for my liking.
Considering the low level of skill needed for making a batch -- a monkey really could do it -- I'd say iGulu has something figured out that its predecessor, the now-defunct PicoBrew, didn't.
That's a good start for this startup that's attempting to break through to beer drinkers who want to make their suds at home but lack the beer-making skills required of a typical brew.
The iGulu keeps you updated on the status of your current brew.
I asked iGulu marketing manager Joseph Truex how it plans to succeed where PicoBrew failed. He told me that people like the idea of making beer at home, but PicoBrew's machines required a few too many steps and a bit too much brewing know-how for the average sud-sipper.
In contrast, iGulu requires you only to add water in the top and scan a barcode to let the machine know which type you're making. iGulu pings your device exactly when it's time to add each ingredient, which comes prepackaged and ready to go.
All the ingredients to make a batch of beer in the iGulu home brewer.
That's it.
The beer brews in full in about two weeks. It's then housed in a self-cooling keg from which you can pour a frosty pint anytime you like. The machine itself is $599 but is available at a CES-special price of $420. Packs of ingredients for IPA, stout, wheat beer and ambers cost around $35 and make about 40 liters of ale or lager.