Ok, so if I hadn’t already wanted to go to the Beer and Bacon Festival, the poster would have definitely piqued my interest.
I mean, who hasn’t wanted to put on a pair of grey sweats, Rocky style, and chase a keg and slab of bacon along the Charles River? If the poster and my love for beer and/or bacon hadn’t been enough, the fact that the event sold out in something like seven minutes last year was enough to stir my competitive nature. You awoke a slumbering giant, Beer and Bacon Festival. Which is why, when tickets went on sale, I was perched over my keyboard, humming Eye of the Tiger, determined to make this happen.
The event sold out in just a few minutes, but I managed to snag tickets. This just might be one of my greatest accomplishments.
Of course, after all that, I ended up with an extra ticket. I sold it to a friend of a friend of a friend on twitter… who just so happened to be attending the event with some other friends of mine.
What is Beer and Bacon Fest? It’s an event where a bunch of local restaurants each make a dish involving bacon and a bunch of local breweries give out free samples. You get a little dixie cup and a spork and you are then told repeatedly not to lose your spork or your cup. Seriously, don’t even think about it. You’re not going to get any replacements. And then you’ll be eating bacon with your hands and begging for beer from your friends like a chump.
Beer and Bacon Fest is serious business, yo.
Beer and Bacon Fest is definitely best when enjoyed with friends. Because, let’s be honest here, nobody can eat that much bacon. Well, nobody should eat that much bacon. We managed to sample most of the bacon offerings, but we tended to get one or two little plates and then split them. All of the deliciousness, none of the belt unbuttoning. Bonus points for maximizing the ratio of time spent waiting in line to time spent consuming bacon. America could reclaim its global superiority if only we could reward efficiency at work with delicious, delicious bacon.
What? It’s not like we could find a way to make healthcare even more expensive.
My personal favorite was the Chocolate Elvis – a sandwich made from peanut butter, banana pudding and chocolate bacon. Half of you are making little gagging noises right now and half of your are nodding your heads and saying “heck yeah.”
(Heck yeah!)
We also sampled bacon fried green tomatoes, bacon wrapped dates, pork wrapped bacon (me: isn’t that redundant? humorless cook guy: they’re different parts of the pig), porkbelly crostinins and, definitely one of the most bizarre foods that I’ve ever consumed… bacon cotton candy.
It was… surprisingly delicious.
Our friend Josh managed to snag two tables up on the balcony of the ballroom, which was awesome because we had our own little section to hang out in and a home base to spread out from. Also, it made me feel like a VIP. And who wouldn’t want to be a very important bacon eater and beer drinker? We didn’t even need to order bottle service.
A lot of the more (how do I put this) professional drinkers complained that the dixie cups for beer were too small. I have to say, I loved them. I wish more bars (read: any bars) offered up the tiny cup option. I’m not much of a drinker and too much beer tends to cause some (gross, personal) health problems. I would love to order a tiny beer to sip on. I usually just have a little bit of whatever Kristian is drinking, but we tend to have very different taste in beer. I loved having a little taste of all the beers that looked good. I really liked the Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp and the Peak Organic Weiss Principal.
We also enjoyed some Narragansett specialty beer, but don’t tell anyone or people will start to think that I’m a damn, dirty hipster.
Then we went home and I drank about a gallon of water and took a little nap. Drunk? No, but I did have a bacon hangover. I think I’m still retaining water from all that salt, but it was so worth it.
Thanks for inviting me in advance, Hope. No, really. It’s okay. I couldn’t have come anyway. 🙂
We could always have our own Beer and Bacon Festival…
I don’t drink beer, but I will definitely take the bacon!
I’m happy to share! There was a looooot of bacon.
sorry to miss it! my secretary really wasn’t on top of my calendar for April 🙂
they offer 12 oz glasses at British Beer Company. it’s a good in-between size to try various things.
also Phill & i found a new bar in Waltham that has tasting flights. http://thegaffbar.com/
i could go for banana and bacon sandwiches, hold the chocolate pudding though. eep.
I’m seriously considering a beer and bacon party. I’m not sure how that would work. I guess everyone would bring their favorite beer and/or bacon to share.
It was banana pudding with a chocolatey spread. I thought it would be nasty or amazing. I’m glad it was tasty!
Hope — I was thinking the same thing! A party needs to happen! I would add chocolate to featured items.
Yes! You are so right!
I. Am. So. Jealous!!!! This bacon-bonanza sounds like so much fun! My sister is OBSESSED with bacon (you’d never know it if you saw her, as she’s tall and thin with a doctor’s stamp of perfect health…but, she had to give up for lent since it’s one thing she loves more than anything) and now she wants more details on bacon cotton candy.
Looks like we might have to travel up there next time around! ^_^
Heck yeah to the Elvis sandwich!! Heck yeah to anything with bacon. mmmmmm
oh they did NOT have bacon cotton candy last year at this festival. and yeah, your post kicks my posts ass, glad one of us was able to go!!! 🙂
Hey, now! I thought your blog post was lovely!
I would like to try making the Elvis sandwiches at home. Except, maybe, that might not be so good for my waist line. :p
Wow. I want to go! I’m not even a huge bacon fan but this little event might just change my mind!
Wait…it’s over?
There will be another one next year, although it’d really damn hard to get tickets.
Next time, PLEASE invite me 😉
I will! I promise! 😀