RON SWARNER: THE RED HOT KNOWS WHAT SUNDAYS ARE ABOUT >>>

There's only one way to improve on dessert, and that's to find a way to sneak some alcohol into it. Sure, this tactic has left us with a world full of rum balls, rum cakes and rum tarts, but don't blame The Red Hot. Here, owner Chris Trashcan has come up with the coolest, most beerific dessert: the beer float. Served in a pint glass, this beauty combines their choice of beer and vanilla bean ice cream. Put a spoonful in your mouth, and the melting ice cream immediately alters the liquid balance of the beer, causing it to melt across your tongue like a dessert served at a fancy restaurant. Cool.

Today, The Red Hot is mixing Black Butte XXI â€" a Reserve Series batch of “double” Black Butte Porter â€" with the ice cream. This Deschutes Brewing product is brewed with chocolate beans and coffee, with 20 percent aged in bourbon barrels. It’s 11 percent alcohol by volume.

The Black Butte XXI tastes better with ice cream than Guinness because of the chocolate backend taste, rather than the bitter taste that often appears with Guinness.

The Red Hot’s beer floats are a Sunday only treat. They’re open until 10 p.m. today.

[The Red Hot, 2914 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.779.0229