Boneyard Bistro, a bastion for craft beer and comfort food in Sherman Oaks, hosts their sixth annual Vintage & Epic Stout Festival on Tuesday, November 15. This year’s bumper crop of 25 boldly flavored stouts are of the rare and vintage variety. You’ll be able to experience tasting flights, suggested food pairings and several menu specials.

Bar manager Rory Snipes shared his approach to this year’s program: “Throughout the year I try to find really cool stouts and strong dark beers to save for November. There’s a risk in doing this type of beer event that you end up with a lot of beers that taste very similar to one another, so there is a lot of thought put into making sure there are a variety of flavor profiles displayed. Providing a wide range of beer (within a very narrow window) also allows us to have more fun with the food we can pair them with. We’ve been doing this event for six years now, so we’ve had a chance to collect a lot of beer over that time period, and we can draw from our cellar to round out the list with a nice selection of aged beers and verticals. I also think it’s important to mix in a few really great beers that are pretty readily available—it keeps us all honest about the often incorrect correlation between rarity and quality.”

Chef de cuisine Erica Abell worked with Rory to pair special dishes, including raspberry-chipotle glazed duck wings; mole negro braised spare ribs with pickled onions and Mexican crema; and toasted coconut and bourbon-soaked vanilla bean rice pudding. They’ve cured lardo in-house to pair with “old-fashioned” jam and honey-herb goat cheese. Erica also delivers a riff on See’s Candies Scotchmallows called “Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Kiss” with toasted marshmallow, “hot chocolate” coated shortbread and toffee sauce.

“Each beer evokes a different idea,” Erica says. “I wanted big bold flavors that would hold their own to each of the beers as well as bring out underlying notes on the beers themselves.”

6^th Annual Vintage & Epic Stout Festival Beer Menu:

• AleSmith, Vietnamese Coffee Speedway, San Diego (12.0% ABV)
• Almanac, Cold Brew Coffee Barrel Noir 2015, San Francisco (10.3% ABV)
• Almanac, Barbary Barrel Noir 2016, San Francisco (10.2% ABV)
• Almanac, Truthful Statement 2015, San Francisco (9.0% ABV)
• Avery, Czar 2012, Colorado (11.1% ABV)
• Avery, Vanilla Bean Stout 2016, Colorado (10.8% ABV)
• Avery, Uncle Jacob’s 2016, Colorado (6oz) (17.1% ABV)
• Bear Republic, Old Baba Yaga 2016, Cloverdale (11.5% ABV)
• Bell’s, Bear Hug 2016, Michigan (8.5% ABV)
• Bruery, Tart of Darkness 2016, Placentia (7.0% ABV)
• Bruery, Smoking Wood with Cofffee & Vanilla 2014, Placentia (8 oz) (13.0% ABV)
• Claremont Craft Ales, Royal 2015, Claremont (12.0% ABV)
• Deschutes, Black Butte XXV 2013, Oregon (11.3% ABV)
• Deschutes, Black Butte XXVI 2014, Oregon (10.8% ABV)
• Deschutes, Black Butte XXVII 2015, Oregon (11.6% ABV)
• Epic, Big Bad Baptist Batch #34 2014, Utah (12.7% ABV)
• Great Divide, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti 2012, Colorado (9.5% ABV)
• Firestone Walker, Velvet Merkin 2015, Paso Robles (8.5% ABV)
• Ninkasi, Bourbon Barrel Ground Control 2016, Oregon (10.0% ABV)
• North Coast, Old Rasputin XV 2012, Fort Bragg (6oz) (11.9% ABV)
• Oskar Blues, Heaven Hill Barrel Aged Ten-Fidy 2015, Colorado (6oz) (11.0% ABV)
• Oskar Blues, Ten-Fidy 2012, Colorado (10.5% ABV)
• Oskar Blues, Ten-Fidy 2013, Colorado (10.5% ABV)
• Port, Older Viscosity 2015, San Marcos (12.0% ABV)
• Sierra Nevada, Barrel Aged Narwhal 2016, Chico (12.9% ABV)

Many people would be sated after a single beer, given the alcohol content—so you might want to consider a designated driver or ride-sharing service. 

13539 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-906-7427