About How to Do Fall Around DC
Make the most of autumn activities with these ideas for a fun-filled fall. Check out colorful foliage, corn mazes, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, and more.
There’s no better year than 2020 to make a pumpkin keg. Halloween parties may be but distant memories, but drinking out of a gourd is fun, and seriously, it’s not like you have anything better to do. You can use any size pumpkin; we made a smaller and simplified version of the monster pumpkin keg Andy Farrell demonstrated for Washingtonian back in 2014.
You’ll need
A pumpkin (choose one that looks like it could hold a few beers)
Something to carve it with (a specialty pumpkin knife is dandy but a regular knife will work fine)
A spoon to scoop out the guts
A spigot (we used this one from Amazon)
A marker or pencil
A candle
Beer
How to make your pumpkin keg
- Using your knife, cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Make sure to remove all the strings and seeds.
- Take a pencil or marker and trace the circumference of your spigot about three quarters of the way down the pumpkin. If your spigot comes with rubber washers, put one on either side to prevent leaks.
- Carefully cut the hole for the faucet using your knife. Push the faucet through. It’s better to cut it too small and enlarge it gradually, but if you make the hole too big all is not lost: Insert the faucet in your pumpkin, light your candle, and drip wax around the faucet stem to keep it from leaking.
- Fill your pumpkin keg with beer. Replace the top, pour, and enjoy!
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
Rosa is a senior editor at Bitch Magazine. She’s written for Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazine.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
