I’ve been using my instantpot for a few years, but it was only in the last few weeks I thought it could be the ultimate small batch brew system. I was looking into the process of making skyr, or icelandic yogurt, when I found the process involves holding liquids at specific temperatures. I knew I needed to make it happen when I saw this article on the same topic:
https://thetakeout.com/could-you-homebrew-beer-in-an-instant-pot-1823435493
https://instantpot.com/wp-content/uploads/IP-DUO/InstantPot-IP-DUO-Manual-English.pdf
The instantpot has a variety of functions, most of them incomprehensible to the average person. The specs in the manual lay out some rough temp & pressure specs.
[quote] Working pressure: High 10.2 ~ 11.6psi (70 ~ 80kPa); Low 5.8 ~7.2 psi (40 ~ 50kPa)
Pressure release limit: 16.68psi (115kPa)
Working temperature: 115°C ~ 118°C (239°F ~ 244°F) at high pressure setting; 110°C ~
112°C (229 ~ 233°F) at low pressure setting.
“Keep warm” function: up to 99 hours 50 minutes, 63 ~ 78°C (145 ~ 172°F);
“Slow Cook” function: 0.5 ~ 20 hours, at 88 ~ 99°C (190 ~ 210°F)
“Sauté” function: “Normal” mode: 160 ~ 176°C (320 ~ 349°F); “More” mode: 175 ~ 210°C
(347 ~ 410°F); “Less” mode: 135 ~ 150°C (275 ~ 302°F).
“Yogurt” function: up to 99 hours 30 minutes. “Normal” mode for making yogurt: 36 ~ 43°
C (96.8 ~ 109.4°F); “Less” mode for making Jiu Niang (fermented glutinous rice): 30 ~ 34°C
(86 ~ 93.2°F); “More” for pasteurizing milk: 71~83°C (160~180°F).
[/quote]
Why are these functions interesting?
The keep warm function is nearly a perfect range for mashing.
- The slow cooker function is above isomerizastion temperature.
- The keep warm function is also great for whirlpooling.
- The yogurt function will keep the wort warm for long periods of time for kettle souring.
I have the 6 qt model, so I planned on a BIAB batch for a nice sessionable blonde ale.
750 g Vienna malt
5 g Hallowed Hops X (Crystal, Cascade, & Nugget blend) @ 30 minutes
14 g Hallowed Hops X @ Flameout
7 g Hallowed Hops X Dryhop, 3 days
Nottingham yeast slurry
Water: 133/0/10/147/144 Ca/Mg/Na/SO4/Cl Mash 5.4 pH
I gathered my materials:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JGAjkIEXljepkqDh2
I started by measuring my water, 4.48 L of distilled and added the required minerals.
Next, I selected the “Saute” function to heat the water to strike temperatures. This brought it up to ~190 F, so I let it cool to 164 F. I milled my grains using my trusty corona mill, and added it to the instant pot. I’m using a 5 gallon paint strainer as a mash filter.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/G4IpNvBlTdAD1Gt32
After stirring the grains gently, the mash measured 155 F. I pushed the “Keep Warm” button, and let it warm up with the lid on. I left the pressure release in the “Venting” position. The wort was about 180F at the standard setting, so I hit “Pressure” to change to the “Slow Cooker: More” setting.
I grabbed a sample of the wort, and chilled it in an ice bath. I’m a bit impatient, but it read 1.030@133 F. This converts to 1.042, my Beersmith estimate indicates I should be at 1.039.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FULtngmigVIdZ22w2
The “Slow cooker: More” function seem to be the ticket, the wort measures 210 F. I add my hops in the same paint strainer bag (after removing the grain), and set a timer for 30 minutes. I’d recommend keeping the lid off, the Instantpot seems to bring the wort to a rather vigorous boil with the lid on.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/0wcIanXfi4Okxdws2
At the end of the boil, I hit “Cancel” and added my last hop addition. I let the wort cool for 20 minutes, and dumped the whole thing into a sanitized 2.5 gallon Torpedo keg to ferment. The keg was set in my freezer to chill, and following that I pitched a slurry of yeast harvested from a previous batch.
As far as brewdays go, this was pretty easy. Not a lot of beer, but quick and fast enough to while I cook dinner. I’m really excited about the kettle souring option, I’ll be putting that to the test in the next week or so.
Side Note: Anyone know how to get photos from Google photos to show up?
Edit: Had to fix some wonky formatting. Only took about 5 tries. Nailed it.