Tap & Mallet Sierra Nevada Takeover.

T&M had a take over last year with Victory which was great. First, getting to see a full bar of Victory handles is awesome. Two, there is an accompanying pig roast which sold out on me. Three, beer blends. I managed to copy down/remember a few of them which I actually haven't gotten around to trying. I wasn't able to enjoy it fully last year since I had some work things going on but this year's takeover had very nice timing.

Disappointed there were no blends available, but there was a three-year vertical of Bigfoot Barley Wine which was cool. And I did get the pig roast which was great. I managed to hit everything on my TODO list except for the Ghidora IPA so all in all, it was a win.

'09,'10,'11 Bigfoot Vertical: Naturally, a big beer like a barley wine ages well and starts to take on very distinctive flavor profiles. Expectedly, the '09 showed a bigger malt profile, lots of sweetness without being stick. I did start to pick up on some heat, which was unfortunate for being slightly young as far as aging goes, and some leather. The '10 has a better hop presence, lighter on the palate, and ultimately smoother I enjoyed my first encounter with Bigfoot but this was decidedly more mature and definitely tasty. The '11 is obviously young, floral, fruity, lightest, slickest, and mildest of the three. Of the three, I like '10 the best.

Jack & Ken's Black Barley Wine: Goddamnit. I hate all this black shit, not racist. Cascadian ale/Black IPA rage. Stout-like, lots of cola, black malt, bitter finish, no hop But mostly stout-like. This is a barley wine, right?

Sn & DHF Wood-aged Life & Limb: Asked for the regular, but they brought be the wood-aged instead. Porter-like. Oak and cedar, prunes, coffee, blended scotch tones. Low carb, light but coherent body. Chocolate and heat in the nose.

Vice: Local collaboration with SN. Read on BA that this was the spicier version of the two local collaborations (Versa). Somewhat pilsner-like, rather effervescent. A bit tannin-y and drying.

Grand Cru: Super malty up front, mellows quickly. Overall, very fleeting, melon, mild biscuit, clean finish, but a little frothy.

RIS: Comparable to Rasputin but a little spongier. Nothing out of character though a bit foamy on the finish. I think not as bitter as Rasputin, but a good candidate for a RIS tasting.

Here is passed-out baby that I saw.

Here is the roast dinner. Sides were an apple slaw, cornbread, soggy bok choy, and a pasta salad. The pig was good, but I've had better sauces.