9 replies to this topic

[Fatman]

I was thinking about brewing a carmel porter for Thanksgiving and serving it in a pumpkin keg. Not just that lame "pour carbonated, finished beer into a pumkin" keg, but using the pumpkin as a secondary and letting it naturally carb in the pumpkin.I am thinking I would drill 2 holes in the pumpkin - one for the tap shank and one for a presure relief valve. I could fill through the pressure valve hole and prime for carbonation. I think the pumpkin could hold 6-8 psi. I'm leaning towards not worrying about the pumkin pulp and just letting the beer sit on it - it would be part of the holiday flavor.(maybe i could do a 3rd hole for a CO2 hookup to push all the beer out - or just remove the pressure valve on turkey day)Is there any way this could work?

[SchwanzBrewer]

Let me tell you about pumpkin casks...

[brewman]

Do it the easy way, just pour in your beer and drink fast.Dan

[SchwanzBrewer]

I tried to do this this year and failed. Elysian Brewing Company does this every year for their Great Pumpkin Festival. They use 200lb pumpkins. They cut a big hole in the pumpkin. Then somehow using a flame, sear the inside without searing the hole. I tried this and the hole got so big that it was impossible to seal it back up. They use wax to reseal the pumpkin. I would only cut 1 hole in the pumpkin to fill with beer. I would remove the guts. I think the pumpkin will impart a vegetal flavor if it isn't treated somehow. Maybe the best thing to do would be to wax seal the inside of the pumpkin.Once you have treated the pumpkin, fill it with beer and priming solution, put the top back on and seal it with wax. Then drill a small hole in the top and put a nipple in it (edges sealed with wax) so that you can put a spunding valve set at 8 psi on the pumpkin as a pressure release.On serving day, take a 1/2" drill and very carefully drill about 1/2 way thru the pumpkin. Drill an air hole in the top. Take your spigot and carefully pound it through the remaining flesh so that it seals and serve.

[brewman]

someone sent this to me.Pumpkin keg

[Fatman]

Wax & spunding valves! Brilliant! You think a big, rich, carmel porter would get toooo much vegetal flavor from the pumkin pulp in the 1-2 week it would take to carbonate? After all, I'm shooting for a pumpkin porter.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Wax & spunding valves! Brilliant!You think a big, rich, carmel porter would get toooo much vegetal flavor from the pumkin pulp in the 1-2 week it would take to carbonate? After all, I'm shooting for a pumpkin porter.

I think sanitation that is the main reason for prepping the inside of the pumpkin by burning it. I tried emailing Elysian for instructions (I friends with a guy that is friends with the owner), but didn't get through. The big problem I had with flaming the inside was that the opening got seared too and it all went to hell.

[Fatman]

I think sanitation that is the main reason for prepping the inside of the pumpkin by burning it. I tried emailing Elysian for instructions (I friends with a guy that is friends with the owner), but didn't get through. The big problem I had with flaming the inside was that the opening got seared too and it all went to hell.

Well, I could always sanitize by filling it full of star-san.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Well, I could always sanitize by filling it full of star-san.

Somehow I don't think that works.

[Big Nake]

Right, Starsan is a "surface sanitizier" so not sure if it would help. I think a lot of people who try this actually pour the "ready-to-drink" [carbed] beer into a pumpkin that has been very carefully cleaned out with the thought of consuming the beer quickly. I absolutely would not rack beer into the pumpkin with all of the guts in there and then assume that the beer will just taste "pumpkin-like". I think the wheels will fall off before the beer is carbed. But I do like the idea if it's done properly. I would not like the idea if the quality of the beer suffered because of a gimmicky dispensing vessel. Good luck and let us know how it goes.