I’m no stranger to beer floats, but they’re far from an everyday thing, so when the magic words “Naughty Sauce” and “McConnell’s” rampaged my in box, it was inevitable I’d end up at The Surly Goat on June 13. Ryan Sweeney, Gus Da Goat and the rest of the Surly crew invited McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams to come scoop. Third generation ice cream man Michael Palmer, who reclaimed the family business in 2011 with chef-wife Eva Ein, Kira Fay, and Barry Fay, was in the house. McConnell’s plans to open a flagship store on Santa Barbara’s State Street this summer, and expand to Los Angeles by 2014. In the meantime, they’re promoting the company’s high quality product at West Coast events like this, where McConnell’s contributed ice cream to four floats, including Naughty or Nice ($5).

A young woman who works for McConnell’s scooped silky vanilla ice cream into a glass and a Surly Goat bartender added Noble Ale Works Naughty Sauce, a Golden Milk Stout infused with Portola coffee that impressed me at TAPS Craft Brew Festival. The result was like a frothy coffee creamsicle that I finished with swift swipes of my spoon and a few quick sips through a straw. Hopefully the float collaboration continues in the future.