For Luca, Home Brewing Was Not a Completely New World

100 iGulu User Stories continues with Luca from Italy, a home brewer who returned to brewing through iGulu and turned it into something he could share with family, friends, and even his young son.

When Luca was younger, he used to brew beer at home with a group of friends, using classic home brewing kits with an airlock and a plastic keg. They would make around 50 litres per batch, a serious setup, and one filled with the kind of excitement that comes from making something with your own hands.

But as life became busier, the hobby slowly faded into the background.

Years later, when he discovered iGulu through Kickstarter, something clicked. It looked like a way to return to home brewing without needing the space, mess, and many manual steps of traditional brewing.

I was looking for something that would allow me to make things at home in a small space without making too much of a mess.

A Cleaner Way Back Into Home Brewing

What first attracted Luca to iGulu was not only the idea of brewing beer at home, but the possibility of doing it in a cleaner, faster, and more flexible way.

Compared with his earlier home brewing experience, iGulu felt easier to fit into daily life. It gave him a way to brew in smaller spaces, experiment more often, and prepare drinks when he needed them, without turning the process into a large project every time.

It’s a clean and quick system that doesn’t involve too many steps.

It allows me to carry out my experiments quickly or brew beer whenever I need it.

After using his first iGulu machine, Luca quickly realised that home brewing could become part of his life again, not as a time-consuming weekend project, but as something he could naturally build around family moments, gatherings, and personal experiments.

From One Machine to a Home Brewing Setup

Luca started with the S1. But after making the first few batches, he realised that one gallon was not always enough for the way he wanted to brew.

For tasting, testing, or small experiments, one gallon could work well. But when friends or family came over, Luca wanted more flexibility. He wanted enough beer to share, and sometimes more than one style ready at the same time.

That led him to build a larger iGulu setup with two F1 machines and one S1.

After making the first few batches with the S1, I realised that 1 gallon wasn’t quite the right amount for my needs.

When I started preparing the mixture, I preferred to have at least 2–3 gallons to work with.

For Luca, having multiple iGulu machines is not simply about brewing more. It changes the way he prepares for different occasions.

When he has friends or family visiting, he often brews two batches of a more approachable beer style, something easy for everyone to enjoy, and one batch of something more distinctive for curious guests to try.

If I have friends or family round, I brew two batches of the same, more approachable style of beer and one of something a bit more distinctive for them to try.

This setup gives his gatherings a small home-brewed tasting experience: one beer for everyone, and another for guests who want to explore something different.

The only thing he plans carefully is timing. When using multiple machines, he tries to start each fermentation so the batches finish around the same day.

Luca and his iGulu machines.

A Birthday Beer Named “Otter Potter”

One of Luca’s most memorable iGulu moments came during his son’s second birthday party.

The house was full of the familiar energy of a toddler celebration: animal balloons, tiny handprints, family members, gifts, and the joyful chaos of a two-year-old at the centre of it all.

But in the kitchen, Luca had prepared something special for the adults.

For the occasion, he brewed an English Porter with his iGulu system. Together with his son, he gave it a playful name: “Otter Potter.”

The name came from a family joke — “Otter,” inspired by his son’s favourite animal, and “Porter,” the dark beer style Luca had chosen for the celebration.

It was more than just a drink. It became a small family project.

Luca used the brewing process as a playful science moment with his son, explaining how yeast eats sugar and creates bubbles. At that age, the explanation naturally turned into something funny and memorable, exactly the kind of story a two-year-old would proudly repeat at his own birthday party.

It was a game I played with my son.

The ease with which the iGulu kits can be used means you can even get a child as young as that to help, turning it into a game and a chance to experiment.

When the Porter was ready, Luca served it to the adults at the party.

As “Otter Potter” flowed into the glasses, it brought a completely different mood to the celebration. The beer had a deep ebony colour, a dense cappuccino-coloured foam, and notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, and caramel.

It offered the adults a well-deserved moment of calm after the joyful chaos of a toddler birthday.

The reaction was immediate. Everyone enjoyed being able to pour their own beer. The adults were amused by the story behind the name, and even more surprised that the beer had been brewed at home with the help of a two-year-old.

For Luca, that was the beauty of the moment. The beer was not just a Porter anymore. It had become part of the birthday memory, a bridge between the liveliness of a child’s celebration and the old tradition of sharing a good dark beer with family.

The beer added a touch of style to a special day.

Preparations before the birthday party.

From “Otter Potter” to “LeonIPA”

The “Otter Potter” was not the end of Luca’s family brewing game.

After the birthday Porter, Luca and his son continued experimenting together. This time, they created a new beer based on iGulu’s Double IPA and gave it another family name: “LeonIPA.”

Just like with “Otter Potter,” the fun was not only in the final drink, but in the process of making it together. Luca and his son worked on the recipe as part of their usual brewing game, and this time they also tried refermenting the beer in bottles.

They even designed a label for the bottles, turning “LeonIPA” into something that felt even more personal, not just a batch of beer, but a small family project with its own name, story, and identity.

For Luca, this is where home brewing becomes more than a technical process. It becomes a way to create memories, teach curiosity, and make each drink feel connected to a specific moment.

And the ideas have not stopped there. Luca is already thinking about names for his cider and mead, continuing to turn each experiment into something personal.

The label Luca and his son designed for LeonIPA.

Brewing for Different Seasons and Different Guests

Since getting back into home brewing with iGulu, Luca has explored several styles, including Pale Ale, Double IPA, Porter, and Stout.

Each has found its own place in different moments of the year.

Pale Ale and IPA bring easier, brighter flavours for warmer days. Porter and Stout offer something deeper and more comforting for colder seasons or relaxed evenings. Double IPA gives him a bolder option for guests who enjoy stronger flavours.

For Luca, this variety is part of the value.

Pale Ale, Double IPA, Porter and Stout have certainly proved to be excellent beers to enjoy throughout the different seasons of the year.

He also believes that some of the beers he has brewed with iGulu can offer a result that feels more enjoyable than standard commercial beer, not only because of the taste, but because of the experience behind it.

A beer made at home carries a story. It can be planned for a party, named for an occasion, adjusted for a guest, or brewed simply because the season feels right.

Beyond Beer: Cider, Mead, and Future Experiments

Luca’s iGulu journey has not stopped with beer.

Recently, he has started experimenting with cider and mead, including his own recipes. His homemade mead turned out dry, refreshing, and fizzy, with a light honey note at the finish. His cider was easy to drink and refreshing, with a lower alcohol feel.

Now, he is interested in comparing his own results with iGulu kits and exploring how different ingredients may change the final flavour.

In my opinion, the added value lies precisely in the experimentation.

After a year of brewing with basic kits, Luca wants to start working more with flavouring and infusions, finding ways to enhance aroma, add character, and create more personalised drinks.

Luca’s homemade mead and cider experiments.

More Than a Machine

Luca’s story shows a different side of home brewing.

It is not only about making beer. It is about returning to an old hobby in a way that fits modern life. It is about preparing something personal for family and friends. It is about turning a birthday party into a story, a Porter into “Otter Potter,” a Double IPA into “LeonIPA,” and a home brewing machine into part of the family’s shared memories.

With two F1 machines and one S1, Luca has built his own small home brewing setup, one that lets him prepare different styles, serve different guests, and keep experimenting.

For some people, iGulu is a way to brew their first beer.

For Luca, it became a way to bring home brewing back into his life — cleaner, easier, and more connected to the people he shares it with.

A way to brew again. A way to keep experimenting. And a way to make every shared drink feel more personal.