The iGulu F1 home-brewing machine makes craft beer at home easier than ever

I'm a firm believer that we should all support our local pubs. But every now and again, it's nice to sit back at home and pour out a nice cold beer. So I usually have some in the fridge. Sorry, Mr Landlord.

However, the art of home brewing is now becoming more accessible than ever, with a handful of machines on the market that take the alchemy out of the process and make it simple to whip up a perfect pint without really lifting a finger.

I've been testing one of the latest to come to the market, the iGulu F1. It's an all-in-one system that arrives in a big box, with a packet of ingredients, ready to drop into a tank, and it'll just get on with the complex fermentation process all on its own.

Sounds impressive? It really is. You do need to stock up on some steriliser, you're better off using mineral water, and you ought to buy a gas canister for carbonation (the SodaStream ones work well and they're quite ubiquitous) but apart from that, it's a very complete kit.

It's so simple, in fact, that the machine is programmed to know what you're brewing and exactly what sort of internal witchcraft it needs to perform through an RfID reader on the side. You just flash a little card that comes with each brewing kit, and a small display (or an accompanying app) walks you through the basic steps.

This display will also count down the days left on the fermenting process - it's roughly a couple of weeks, and it'll tell you things like the temperature of your beer, and other important messages like pressure and so on.

Then, once your brew is ready, you just pour it out using a pub-style handle, and enjoy a cold, crisp beer. You can expect anything up to around 18 pints, too, depending on your brewing kit.

Each beer kit comes with a powdery mix for the malt extract, some yeast, and some hop oil. The flavouring is all done for you before it's packaged, so there's nothing to think about, you just stir it in and let the machine do all the heavy lifting.

To say I'm impressed with this machine would be an understatement. I've used all-in-one brewing machines like this before, but the iGulu F1 oozes quality, and the smart little display makes things very easy.

There is, however, a bit of an issue. And that's actually getting hold of one. They're sold out on the iGulu website, they're sold out on Amazon, and they're tricky to find elsewhere.

I did see this one on eBay, and hopefully the seller will get more in stock, but you might have to hunt around.

And then there's the brew kits. Stock has recovered since I first looked, but most of the ingredient packs are still sold out. And it's a shame, because some of them look delicious.

You can, if you feel so inclined, concoct your own brew. There are lots of home-brewing companies that will sell you the ingredients, and lots of videos online to walk you through them. The iGulu F1, quite cleverly, does have a custom function, too.

So this is one of the most impressive home-brewing machines on the market... Assuming you can get your hands on one, that is.