Photos: Beer & Donuts at Il Vinaio

Nearly 60 people secured a coveted reservation for Il Vinaio‘s semi-annual Beer & Donuts tasting Saturday afternoon.

The gourmet mini donuts and their 8-ounce beer pairings (from left):

• Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut with Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen
• Bacon Butterscotch Donut with Deschutes Green Lakes Organic Pale Ale
• Bubble Gum Glazed Donut with Epic Brainless Belgian Ale
• Espresso Ganache Filled Donut with Firestone Velvet Merkin Oatmeal Stout

My fave? Bacon Butterscotch, of course, with bacon in both the glaze and the donut. The Bubble Gum, with a glaze made from Three Olives bubble gum-flavored vodka, was a close second.

The whipped cream on the Pumpkin Spice, by the way, was infused with Everclear.

Miss out on Saturday’s event? No worries. The downtown Mesa restaurant does Beer & Donuts every six months.