iGulu S1 The Bitter Reality

[@TheBruSho]

Remember the BeerMkr, giving me some similar vibes. I think these machines are a bit too hands off for my liking but maybe there’s a market for it

[@PortlyGentleman]

I think that was actually better slightly, I will say the first kit I did on that was the hazy. A style I don't drink often even to this day. It led me to think it was a little bit tastier than I may have actually been. Once I brewed more of there kits I realized okay, there's definitely something off. 😅 now I'm a little more thorough

[@FermentationAdventures]

@@PortlyGentlemanBeerMkr could make good porters/stouts. Anything lighter was junk.

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@FermentationAdventures 🍻

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Reminds me of the small Picobrew I used to have. I never liked proprietary packaged kits (aka expensive and limited selection). They went out of business, and I threw it away. They want to send me one of these. I think I’ll pass.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Wise decision my friend 🍻. Quite a few on KZbin are selling out and giving the steaming pile of garbage a glowing review.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

@@PortlyGentleman ha!

[@stevetrusler1958]

I received my iGulu yesterday after six or so years of waiting....I'm interested to try it out but in the meantime I've invested in a Brewolution 70 and have been doing all grain beers for the past three years in 25+L batches. The only thing I cant really brew is lagers because they typically ferment too cold for my kit but then I don't drink lager anyway. The fact that they only have three recipes available.....hmmm...but it's all DME brews so after their first kit I can buy DME and hop extract to experiment with some different recipes. I'm really not going to pay 18Bucks for 5L of dodgy lager !

[@PortlyGentleman]

I'm with you 🍻

[@brandelrock5833]

Good job on the review. Everything about this is so unappealing. I get that there's a market for "easy brewing", but selling a product that ignores fundamental brewing concepts is such a con game. Kits selling for $17.00 - 19.99 USD/gallon. Buyer beware.

[@PortlyGentleman]

That's my thoughts exactly 🍻

[@axelk.4273]

Also - don't know how the word "brewing" is defined for you US guys, but at least here in Europe (Germany in my case), this would *not* be considered brewing. You just mix together some ingredients, partly from the chemical industry. So, just hypothetically, if someone would "make beer" with this device an sell it over here, it would *not* even be allowed to be called beer...

[@PortlyGentleman]

And that might be for the better 🍻

[@CTP-bbq-HundHutte]

@@axelk.4273 I agree 100%. That machine is absolutely not brewing.

[@GentleGiantFan]

$20 for a 1 gallon kit? It's cheaper to go to the store.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

1st, Love the title! 😎 37.x PSI, WTH! I think iGulu needs to send you another keg, as I haven't seen any go beyond 24.x psi. BYO had a great article where they fermented a lager at 0 to 30 psi, and it seemed to be a personal preference, but 37 is getting way up there. I had spoken to iGulu and wanted to know if they would consider replacing or offering a PRV at around 13 to 15 psi (I've seen both on the market). As for the tasting, I love most of my beers on the drier side. I'm not sure how the extract hops work on individual noses compared to regular hops or pellets, as you may have seen, when I went to a local brewery with my homebrew club, the aromas and flavor perceptions were all over the place with about 1/2 noticing the hop aromas/flavors right away and the other 1/2 either taking a minute or not really noticing them. (The Pale Ale had been conditioned at 35 F for 2 solid weeks before the tasting and fermented at 12 to 24 psi with one purge per day to get it back to the 12 psi. BYO noticed more perceived bitterness in their lager that fermented at 30 psi.) Summary: Great Job. (Also, check your description as it shows iGulu S1, which the one you have is an F1 series) I love the system for experimenting and getting non-homebrewers interested enough to at least put their foot in the door to see if they want to go further. Plus, at the end of the day, it brings even more exposure to homebrewing as a whole. I also noticed that MoreBeer just came out with a 5-gallon version of what they call "Flash Brewing." I just worry about temp control, although there are no pressure issues unless someone ferments under pressure in an all-rounder with the default PRV as the only release mechanism (35 psi default).

[@PortlyGentleman]

I've got two kegs I chose the title because I really want to convey my integrity and honesty. I'm not simply just a pitch man. I don't make infomercials solely based to sell products for profit. We've all got our own set of scruples and morals. As far as conditioning the pale ale if let it sit around quite a while, I've brewed that kit twice now. Each time it's pretty much the same bland and mediocre at best. As far as getting people into the hobby I don't think that's a shield I would try and hide behind.

[@FermentationAdventures]

All for devices getting people into beer, but a Mr Beer kit is a cheap entry point. When I went with Mr. I didn’t think I was swindled. If I dropped a load of money on this I’d feel like I made a major mistake, and probably swear off brewing. That’s what I worry about.

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@FermentationAdventures I agree 100% . Part of the reason why I made this video. There are quite a few products that I get and just don't do anything with for a reason. I've seen a 1 or 3 creators pushing this simply because they pay really good commissions. In my opinion anyways

[@fffffffred]

I was about to buy one. I own you a beer. Thanks

[@PortlyGentleman]

It's my pleasure🍻 I do try to be as genuine as possible

[@andrevangijsel957]

I am not sure they will send you the successor ;)

[@PortlyGentleman]

That'd be okay. It's important that everyone knows that as far as brewing equipment goes, I can be trusted to be honest 🍻

[@upatamby]

According to ChatGPT: The name "iGulu" for the beer brewing machine comes from a combination of "i" and "Gulu." The word "Gulu" means "beer" in the Zulu language, while the "i" stands for "intelligent" or "innovative." So, iGulu means "intelligent beer" or "innovative beer." It reflects the machine's aim to automate and modernize the brewing process, making it easier for homebrewers to produce quality beer.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Very interesting. Maybe next time you guys will do a little more market research 😜🍻

[@iGuluHomeBrewing]

Hey Bradley, we are sorry for the issues that you may have experienced during your brewing process. It seems like the negative is more about the bad taste due to high pressure and low temperature profile setting in F1. We have had many upgrades recently and, specifically regarding the fermentation pressure being too high, we only recently changed it to 20 psi as default if customers updated the machine to the latest version: 2.4.7. iGulu does have professional brew masters that help develop the process and correct potential issues. We look forward to bringing you the best product possible and we appreciate your feedback.

[@PortlyGentleman]

At least you guys seem to understand now. Thank you for watching the video. 20 psi is probably still a little bit high. And my temperature issues I think are valid with your profiles. I would reevaluate your consultant that's a little harsh but it's just my opinion. I'm still currently unable to use your app as it is broken still in possible to update.

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Great in depth review! Hopefully it turns more people on to home brewing, but so far in these all in one extract kit beers I’ve yet to find a “good” one. Cheers 🍻

[@PortlyGentleman]

Thank you my friend, I would agree 🍻

[@beattyj8]

Thinking about salvaging the footprint and some of the design choices, I'm kinda wondering if I would pay $400 for something in this footprint that'd accept a standard 5gal peltier-cooled corny keg (full of already brewed beer) and have a smart tap on it as a really fancy party solution. Just put a honking big fold up handle on the top for carrying it, and leave the SodaStream setup for constant carbonation. If iGulu doesn't make it as a brewing solution I'd seriously consider a pivot to pre-made super fancy slim upright jockey boxes to save some of the startup costs? Yes, there are other solutions out there but none that are off-the-shelf, thin-footprint, and work wtih a standard corny.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Absolutely too true 🍻

[@isayovids]

I have a feeling you need to keep the gas post on during fermentation, maybe it’ll allow to release the pressure 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@PortlyGentleman]

No it doesn't work that way. I put it on just off camera and the subsequent five times I've used it. I've had the gas poured on. It's a one-way gas valve 🫡

[@ijwilson]

@PortlyGentleman It was originally called Art Brew, but that was owned by someone else. This is a Chinese company who clearly see igulu as sounding good to their ears. On Kickstarter many complained at the time of the name change. I just received mine after 8 years of waiting, which regardless of anything else you have to give them credit for - given the number outright scams on Kickstarter. The original machine looked like a microwave and on paper could do much more. Which is why it went so wrong! Trying to pump wort from one place to another without jamming valves was a bridge too far. I think they just thought it’s only beer, how hard can it be! 😂 Anyhow, eight years later I now have one, which maybe is better than none at all, although based on your review I’m not so sure! But the main points seem to be addressable, the recipes need tweaking and the over pressurisation addressed. There is a ‘premium’ mode where customisation is possible (I have this) and it wouldn’t be too difficult to adjust the safety valve to open at around the 12psi mark. The attraction to me was I don’t drink a huge amount of beer - I like to spread myself around. 😂 So making a gallon at a time of different styles was very appealing (it was supposed to come with four mini-kegs). So much has changed since I made my pledge! I’m never going to go all in on a better setup, I just have to many other hobbies and I’ve long forgotten about the money. I guess the majority of units delivered have been to backers many years ago who are just grateful to have got anything at all! Maybe overtime the software will improve or offer the customisation to be able to experiment with small batches …. Or like most of my other Kickstarter backer projects just serve to remind me never to browse Kickstarter when under the influence! 😂😂😂 I haven’t explored mine in any depth, I have the premium version, but only today have fired it up with one of the packs it came with. I’m glad to see the range has expanded since your review. If enough get out into the wild just maybe a community will spring up around it with the hacks and mods it needs to bridge the gap between those who just want to tip in a package of ingredients and those who take the hobby more seriously.

[@d.marchinko1873]

Do the mods, id love to see what you would do, maybe there's a way to program it for your own brews.

[@PortlyGentleman]

There absolutely is a way to program it so you can run your own profiles

[@fickfack09]

The post commentary was marvelous lol.

[@PortlyGentleman]

😂🍻

[@CTP-bbq-HundHutte]

Thanks for the honest feedback. A couple of other KZbin guys are trying to sell this thing as being the end all be all. I can’t believe it is worth half of what it’s selling for. And just by seeing it it is definitely not brewing. Thanks again!!!

[@PortlyGentleman]

I absolutely agree with you. We all have our own set of scruples, however some of what's going on to me is beyond acceptable. 😂

[@sirenbrewingco.3235]

A play on “Igloo” coolers name recognition?

[@PortlyGentleman]

Maybe 🤣

[@CascadesHomebrew]

Good info and thanks for the honest feedback. This is the first video I have seen talking about the pressure and temp issues. I suspect the goal is to have it high enough so the beer will still be carbonated once chilled and served with the air pump. I wonder if the Pinter is also fermenting at very high pressure. Cheers! 🍻

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@CascadesHomebrew I don't think it's their end goal to serve with the air pump. As I said in their video, every time I've run one of their profiles as part of the cold crashing process. They do not run any gas when the beer is finished. If they didn't have gas, it wouldn't be carbonated.

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

I don't know what pressure the Pinter ferments at but what I can tell you is that the Pinter "carbonation dial" has a pressure relief valve. And during fermentation you can hear it releasing pressure from time to time. I own and like the Pinter a lot, and I use it to augment my all-grain brews. I was very skeptical when I bought it but after trying four of the Pinter fresh press packs I am sold. The Brewgooder Hazy IPA from Pinter is one of my favorite beers...period. I have found the finished beer is nicely carbonated and so far I have not had a problem with beer going flat before I finished off the batch, which was a concern of mine going in.

[@PortlyGentleman]

The painter is definitely a better executed product

[@MegaStamandster]

Not to throw shade, but all of these sorts of systems ultimately fail to last after investor money dries up.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Not at all 🍻🍻

[@MegaStamandster]

@@PortlyGentleman name me one that has continued to function?

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@MegaStamandster not at all to throwing shade lol not shade my friend. I think you're being accurate 💯

[@StratoJohn]

I think the pinter system has been fairly successful?

[@MegaStamandster]

@@StratoJohn Pinter is $100, not $700

[@wmd4]

the name is supposed to mean igloo lol

[@PortlyGentleman]

Lol yes 🍻

[@LachflashTVReloaded]

Customize it!

[@PortlyGentleman]

🍻

[@timheffernan3577]

That's not brewing to me. But as always I enjoying your commentary

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@timheffernan3577 I agree with you, I think to be honest there's a place for something like this. If it worked properly at the very minimum. I almost deleted all my footage around this product, and never produced a thing. But there's a couple one especially creators that are pushing this as something that makes the best beer on the planet basically. Which is far from the truth 🤣🍻

[@timheffernan3577]

@@PortlyGentleman I have played with the idea of a recipe test brewing system but the whole point would be dialing in to get a great beer. This kind of system takes all the creativity out of it, and that's one the huge draws for me

[@PortlyGentleman]

💯 I'd never pay money for this thing personally 🍻

[@forlifeyoda]

Gulu is a region in Uganda, maybe that is were the owner of iGulu is from.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Interesting theory 🤔

[@jafarym77]

Uganda, famous for kachabali 😂😂.

[@PortlyGentleman]

@jafarym77 🍻

[@davidt450]

I am kick-starting funding the new model. I don't really have much interest in kits. The attraction of this to me is that you can modify parts of the fermentation process including chilling. That makes it worthwhile for me. My intention has always been to modify and use my own recipes. I have brewed with grain for a while and so I may simply make a wort to ferment in device. I would be very interested to see a video with you modifying or using your own recipes. That's pretty much my plan. I will subscribe and I hope that you do

[@PortlyGentleman]

I fully understand your point.. I'll be honest if you're just using it for fermentation you could do the same thing with a mini fridge. And 4 L or 8L Oxerbar mini kegs.

[@davidt450]

@@PortlyGentleman You are completely correct. However, there are two factors you are ignoring. The first is that I quite like the idea of an automated process that you can pre-program to reach the right temperatures. I would like to have that degree of control over my fermentation temperature. The other and rather more important one is that I think I might just about be able to get away with a kitchen gadget like this. But there is no way that my wife is going to let me install another fridge in the house. I would just get into too much trouble even to suggest it.

[@PortlyGentleman]

I do get it. It's not like you could easily get a temperature controller that's Wi-Fi capable. And then set up automated profile steps. As far as the relatively compact footprint that one cannot be underrated. The units are about 22 in tall. And roughly have about a 13 to 15-in diameter.

[@davidt450]

@@PortlyGentleman You could but you are not married to my wife!!!!

[@PortlyGentleman]

💯 do let me know how it works out please. I'm quite curious.

[@gnulio]

They told me that the new one has an electronic pressure regulator, so in the master mode you can set the fermentation pressure.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Anything's possible lot of companies right now working on that sort of thing. Evidently it's pretty hard to get right. They are also saying the kits taste amazing...

[@gnulio]

@@PortlyGentleman I know. Actually i don't care about the kits, but for 299 It could be a nice fermenting machine for experimenting with kombucha, cider, Mead ecc ecc

[@gnulio]

@@PortlyGentleman or do you have any advice in something similar that could handle hot and cold fermentation?

[@PortlyGentleman]

I hear you. You should definitely pick one up. Let me know how it works 🍻

[@PortlyGentleman]

$100 chest freezer ... If you need something smaller, a mini fridge throw a heater in either one and a temperature controller.

[@beattyj8]

As a former PicoBrew Z user, I am nostalgic for a countertop beer robot that I could load up with freshly ground grains from my homebrew store with my own custom recipe, walk away from for most of a day, and have a keg of fresh beer to chill and start fermenting in the evening. I was willling to sacrifice brewhouse efficiency for that much convenience and predictability. I'm sad Annie and PicoBrew didn't make it, and sadder that no one else found a way to make that work. That said, this ain't it. :D

[@PortlyGentleman]

@@beattyj8 🍻🍻

[@allanbrand]

I was a PicoBrew owner and was not a fan. It made OK beer and for me just didn't care for the "push the button and walk away" process. Dumping it in favor of a Grainfather provided me, at least, with a much better brewing experience. I will say that PicoBrew's customer service was some of the best I've ever experienced. I think Pico's demise was mainly due to its cost structure. At $2K or more for the machine then about $32 for a kit on average to only make 2.5 gallons, that was some expensive beer. I think the iGulu is headed for a similar fate as PicoBrew, but wish them the best and hope they make it.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Yes 🍻

[@beattyj8]

@@allanbrand Agreed, though I was never a fan of the kits as much as all-grain brewing with the Z1. I had it dialed in where I could get a great 5 gallon batch out with about an hour of setup and cleanup, which is hard to beat. When I want to manually brew and spend 6 hours doing it, I use my Brewtools setup and love it. I guess I just miss the option of brewing on autopilot when I didn't have the time.

[@PortlyGentleman]

Man that is pretty cool. I think there's been a couple other breweries that try something like that but have all failed. I wonder why 🤔