Homesteading Forum banner

Pressure cooker for crude brewing?

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  CurtisWilliams 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all, I know this may sound a bit absurd. But would my pressure cooker/canner with the jiggler weight on it be an acceptable brewing vessel? I just thought it might work similarly to a bucket with fermentation lock to let air escape without inviting nasties in....aye, nay?

I am a pretty inexperienced brewer, have seen my mom brew a bunch as a kid but aside from some awful sugar wine I ended up freezing off, never tried my hand at it for myself.

I suppose I could just go buy the proper brewing equipment but storage space is a HUGE issue here. And, I very much dislike the idea of buying a lot of new equipment just to see if I would even like to begin homebrewing. It seems like such a waste to use the stuff once or twice and then stuff in a shed somewhere to gather dust for all of eternity.

So your honest advice, anyone? Don't be afraid to burst my little pressure cooker bubble, I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly as far as this possibility goes! I am also open to any and all methods of other improvisation.

If what I want to brew matters at all, I was recently gifted about 30lbs of honey and I like mead....

Thanks everyone.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
If I'm understanding right, you want to use a metal pressure cooker for a carboy. I don't see how that would work at all. You would get flavors from the metal and You can find God knows what else :( You can go to a local brew store or even Lowes and get new plastic buckets, and an airlock isn't more than $3.00. Don't try to skimp on something like this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShannonR
#3 ·
So I did take your advice and purchased some bare bones equipment. Got a bucket, fermentation lock, some yeast (but no nutrient, wanted to try raisins). Still in the process of reading and researching, when I feel like I can accomplish this without messing up I will start it.

I do have some concerns also about my high inside temps during the day and temp fluctuations here.
 
#4 ·
yeah, temperature fluctuations can be a problem, seems like fall and spring are best for temps. Don't guess you have access to a cellar or anything like that, do you? Good luck with your wine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShannonR
#6 ·
Shannon, I do not know anything about brewing in metal. But I do make some sugar wine in a plastic "aqua-tainer" available at Wallyworld. It ain't great tasting, but using this I can make seven gallons of 'wine' for about 12 dollars. With +- abv 15%.

I never use an airlock. I simply crack the vent a whisker and the CO2 pressure keeps O2 from entering.

I use turbo yeast from milehigh distilling. It is the most efficient yeast/nutrient combo that I have found.

I don't worry about temps, I fill the jug with full on hot water, add sugar and then the yeast. It works every time.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top