Watermelon keg

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sirsloop

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I saw something like this on a food blog and decided to try it out. I was in a home depot that was shutting down and landed this faucet thingy for like 2 bucks... so I went for it.

Anyways, you gotta find a large watermelon that sits up on end. I may put a brace on it to drunk proof it tho. You cut the top of the watermelon like a pumpkin and spoon out the fruit. Once you have an empty shell you take out your drill bit and drill a shank sized hole in the side of the melon. Placement is kinda key... I'm thinking of a few methods on this one. One method is the gravity style like the pics show, and the other would be a siphon system where the faucet sits on top and you run a hose down below the watermelon. That may be tricky to pull off and have work all day. I'd stick with gravity, and maybe rig up a down tube on the end of the shank.

This faucet setup I used is kinda just for proof of concept, but should work with a standard faucet setup. The shank seals very nicely with a washer style gasket and some keg lube on it. You can fill it with whatever beverage you want... I was thinking that this would be better for jungle juice or some kinda punch. Drop in a bunch of liquor, ice, fruit, and let r rip.

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Tip: Cut a little notch in the top of the watermelon like this. The top as is seals and creates a vacuum when you pour, slowing it WAY down. The notch will make it easy to get the top off and keep the pressure equalized for a smooth pour.

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:mug:
 
Lol... I was thinking more like tim the tool man taylor... IDk if martha is a compliment or not?? HAHAHAH!
 
That's AWESOME! Sure it's not as manly as a keg of HB but hell, fill that b!tch with some rum, leave a good bit o' fruit on the sides and toss in some large chunks, let it refreigerate for a few hours and toss that thing on the porch for a grilling party one day!

Reminds me - we used to get a big watermelon, cut a small hole on the side, pour in a bottle of rum, put the piece back in, refrigerate the watermelon for a few hours, cut it up and eat! Good way to get a buzz on a hot day. Rum-infused watermelon!
 
Reminds me - we used to get a big watermelon, cut a small hole on the side, pour in a bottle of rum, put the piece back in, refrigerate the watermelon for a few hours, cut it up and eat! Good way to get a buzz on a hot day. Rum-infused watermelon!

My sister brought a shallow tupperware tray full of fresh pineapple soaked in Malibu to my parents' pool yesterday. Refreshing!!! It was left over from the Jimmy Buffet concert in Philly the night before.
 
It's be awesome if there was a way to hold carbonation so that you could run an American Wheat beer through it. Maybe set up a Randall with some big chunks of watermelon instead of hops!
 
Keeping in line with some of the brewers/breweries that have actually fermented in a pumpkin, who is going to step up to the plate and ferment in a watermelon?
 
From a brewpub that has done this:

I don't like to speak for *****, but I believe he'd tell you we don't plan to condition our beer in a pumpkin ever again. We may cask-condition some pumkin ale and put it into a pumpkin to serve, but not to condition.

It was just murky & swampy. It sold because of the novelty of it, but it was not a product we'd choose to sell again. It developed a cidery taste and really wasn't pleasant. Since you are talking about a far shorter time in the pumpkin, it might work okay for you, but all in all, I'd not risk ruining a good pumpkin beer. (Or pumpkin, for that matter. Steam the flesh & make a nice pie.) Anyway, I know this only helps as a cautionary tale, but I hope it does, in fact, help.

I looked into it last fall when making mine. I chose not to "pumpkondition", lol.
 
lol... I think your average sized watermelon that you can get from a store holds about a gallon. Perfect for some high octane stuff. It may be interesting to use one of those square watermelons.... it'll be more stable and a little more straight forward to tap.
 
So how many PSI can a watermellon hold?

fizzy fruit!


Another great thing to go with a watermelon is cut a small hole in the top and pour a handle of vodka in. Wait a few hours for even distribution and serve.
 
I have a friend who swears that by leaving a watermelon in a cooler with dry ice, the watermelon will absorb co2 and become slightly carbonated. Said he discovered it by accident.
?
 
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