Peanut butter and jelly, french fries and ketchup, grilled cheese and tomato soup… some things are just meant to be together. Well, my friends, sometimes there is just a union between two entities that is so life-changing, it needs its own festival to celebrate the caliber of such a pairing. I’m talking about the second annual Bacon and Beer Festival, where local restaurants and breweries bring their best microbrews and pork inspired dishes to be sampled ‘til your heart explodes with joy. Tickets were sold out, and bets were placed on who we’d encounter at such an event; foodies, frat guys, hipsters, old motorcycle-riding men in leather jackets…? Turns out, it was a little bit of everyone!

You walk in and they immediately give you a cup and a spork and set you free in a sea of meandering individuals. My first stop was the Sam Adams booth, where they made an Oakwood Ale specifically for the event. It was smoky and robust, perfectly complimenting the occasion. I also paid a visit to Wachusett Brewing Co.’s table just to get some classic Wachusett Blueberry, which happens to be a personal favorite. However, the big attraction seemed to be the Kevin Bacon Ale that Cape Ann Brewing Company concocted. I’m not sure if it was supposed to taste like bacon, or Kevin… but it was delightful nonetheless. Other breweries that attended were Shipyard, Long Trail, Magic Hat, Harpoon, and Blue Hills. One thing I most definitely appreciated was that all the brewers had their beers on draft, which is respectable considering some just had a 5ft table to work with.

The restaurants were presenting everything from just plain, crispy bacon to savory, fancy delectables. I went from table to table like the Tasmanian devil, armed with my spork and a sense of wonderment. I ate pork wrapped in bacon, I ate pasta with bacon meat sauce, and I ate a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich with chocolate covered bacon. Keep in mind these were all small portions, like finger-food size or tapas, but oh man… there was one particular dish that I’m still thinking about.

A restaurant called The Fireplace had this succulent little cut of pork belly on a bed of the most smooth and flavorful polenta I’ve ever eaten. In fact, I had never tried polenta until this day, but later that night I actually went to the grocery store and purchased some myself just to have that flavor all the time. However… I could not recreate their recipe. There’s tasted like magical mashed potatoes, whereas mine just tasted like sand…. and I’ve got friends who can vouch for my cooking skills. But anyway, I digress. I also tried this little piece of baked beer bread with chopped bacon, roasted tomatoes, sprouts and sweet vidalia onion sauce.

I liked it, but there were a lot of competing flavors going on so it was a little confusing to the palate. There was also bacon chili, bacon hushpuppies, and numerous other oddities and rarities that I just couldn’t get my hands on because the lines were so long. Overall, the event was crowded but obviously a success and it’s definitely something I’d go to again next year. Get tickets early, as it’s sure to gain popularity quickly.