Like the bongs of my youth, I think that it's very important to be able to fashion a keg out of anything on hand. And seeing how pumpkins are literally being left in front of grocery stores unattended at night after they close, it's almost as if they want to be turned into vessels for frothy goodness.
The good news about this project is that if you are capable of stabbing a knife into the soft yielding flesh of a fruit, then you are perfectly able to make a pumpkin keg...and besides, wouldn't your friends rather come over for a "Make Your Own Keg" party rather than being forced to be creative on a pumpkin?
Here are the instructions (from Celebrations)
What You Need:
one large pumpkin
marker or pencil
carving kit
Plastic Spigot (aka tap)
lots of Sam Adams Octoberfest beer (or any other that you like, I prefer Strongbow Hard Cider)
Directions:
Step 1: First, draw a ring around the top of your pumpkin. This will be your guide to carve the lid. Try to keep this pretty close to the top of the pumpkin so you optimize the hollowed out space that will hold the beer.
Step 2: Once that's done, carve it! If you're sans carving kit you can use a serrated knife. Whatever your tool of choice, poke it in at an angle and work your way around the ring.
Step 3: Pop the lid off once you've gone all the way around and clean out your pumpkin. Make sure you get all the seeds out and most of the pulp, but don't worry if some of that's left behind since it's responsible for flavoring the beer.
Step 4: Now, find the spot where you want to place your spigot. Using your pencil or marker, trace around the rim once you've decided upon the spot. Cutting the hole here will require a pretty fine serrated knife, so the carving kit proves really worthwhile at this point. Make the hole as clean cut as possible, then pop in your spigot. If your pumpkin is as thick as ours was you'll have to thin out the pumpkin's inner wall to fit the spigot properly. Don't be afraid to dig in - the pumpkin can take it.
Step 5: Once your spigot is secured, you're ready to go! Pour in your Sam Adam's Octoberfest (because that IS the official beer of fall as far as we're concerned) and pop the lid back on your pumpkin.
Step 6: Celebrate fall and all your hard work with a cold brew from your pumpkin keg!
