The Ceremonial Opening Tap Mallet

Photos depict ceremonial mallet maker John Gasparine posing with his creation for Baltimore Beer Week, the official mallet created for tomorrow's ceremonial keg tapping to open Baltimore Beer Week 2009, and most likely for future Beer Weeks.

Note the carefully created hop cone finial at the bottom of the handle and the "Baltimore Beer Week--Est. 2009" logo in the head.  The mallet features two pieces of the Wye Oak, as mentioned in a previous post.  There supposedly is a formal name for this splendid piece of craftsmanship, but we'll have to await the Opening Tap to find out what that is.

There's still some discussion about what to do with this thing in between annual Beer Weeks.  My personal suggestion was that this could be hung in a ceremonial case at a selected venue in between BBWs.  Perhaps it could be "awarded" as an annual award to a venue that sponsors real ale, maybe the winner of "People's Choice" at the SPBW's annual Real Ale Festival, for example, or a venue or maker selected annually by the SPBW membership or officers.  (Of course, that would mandate a case being made, plus appropriate security of location.....)

Any ideas?  It's truly a shame for such fine workmanship to lurk in a closet for 50 weeks a year.........