iGulu

What's in the box: A recurring order typically means a brewing ingredient kit for one recipe, such as a beer style, cider, wine or kombucha, with an RFID recipe card to use in an iGulu brewer.

iGulu is less a classic subscription box than a smart home brewing system with a refill plan attached. At its center is an automated countertop brewer, sold as the F1 and S1 models, which controls temperature and pressure for you. You fill it with water, add an ingredient kit, scan the recipe's RFID card and press start. The machine lets you know when the batch is ready to pour on tap. Ingredient kits are offered through a Subscribe and Save option, which is the closest thing to a recurring box here. The site does not say on its main page how often kits ship or how you pick them. The range goes well beyond beer: styles such as Irish stout and Berliner weisse sit next to cider, sparkling white wine, kombucha and a new ginger beer kit, and the machine can also make yogurt. Experienced brewers can adapt their own recipes, and the brewer works with standard 5L kegs, so you can also fill one at a brewery and serve it at home. The catch is the upfront cost. The brewer is a big purchase and the kits are built around it, so this only pays off if you plan to brew regularly. A newer F2 model is currently on Kickstarter, which is worth knowing before you choose a version.