Also beer and barbecue at annual fest

Jeremy Garrett has a four-word mantra that would stop almost anybody in their tracks: “The Most Bacon Ever.”

Garrett is the Director of the New Hampshire Bacon and Beer Festival (nhbaconbeer.com) and he is excited about serving unlimited samples of bacon, beer and barbecue to Festival-goers on Saturday, June 1, at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack.

“I haven’t done the numbers,” he said, “but I’m pretty certain this is the largest sampling event in New Hampshire. There will be 18 companies giving out 25+ different bacon samples, more than 60 breweries, and tents with barbecue teams. We like to say that if you leave hungry it’s your fault.”

This is the eighth year for the Festival, which raises money for the High Hopes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides life-enhancing equipment, assistance and opportunities to New Hampshire children living with chronic health conditions. Over the past three years, the Bacon and Beer Festival has raised more than $150,000 for High Hopes.

When Festival-goers enter the event, they are given a 4-ounce sampling glass and two tickets, one to give to the vendor with their favorite bacon, and another to give to the maker of their favorite barbecue. Garrett said that there are serious bragging rights that go with winning the People’s Choice Award for best barbecue.

“The barbecue teams take it very seriously. Last year there was a Dancing Guy; if you gave him a ticket, he’d do a dance for you,” Garrett said.

On entering the Festival, a bacon-and-beer-enthusiast will be faced with a “plethora of tents,” each with a line in front of it.

“You go through the lines,” Garrett said. “You get whatever samples you want; you go get in the next line, you try that, go get in the next line, and keep on doing that until you’re full.” Because of the large number of vendors, none of the lines end up being very long, he said. “Even if we have 2,000 people there, nobody will be in line for more than three or four minutes.”

So what is an absolute can’t-miss item?

“There’s nothing that you can afford to miss,” Garrett said. Any food you can imagine with bacon will be represented, as well as a few you might never have thought about.

“There are any number of sweet or savory dishes to sample,” he said. “One of the barbecue teams is serving bacon-wrapped jalapeños. There’s a smokehouse that has bacon-infused sausage, so it’s bacon and sausage! Together!” There will be bacon popcorn, maple-bacon marshmallows, bacon whoopie pies, bacon pizza, bacon fries, bacon macaroni and cheese, and even bacon chocolate chip cookies.

Beer-wise, there will be a lot of old favorites, Garrett said, “and this year there are 12 new breweries we’ve never had before. It’s a great chance to try something you normally wouldn’t. I always end up trying some sours or fruity drinks that I normally wouldn’t, but this gives me a chance to see if there’s anything I like.” Because people in line are only committing themselves to a bite of bacon or barbecue, or 4 ounces of beer at a time, Garrett says, nobody’s overly invested in any of the samples. “If you don’t like it,” he said, “go get back in line and try something else. That’s the beauty of this opportunity.”

An hour or two before the end of the festival, many of the vendors start to run out of bacon. That’s when the barbecue teams rotate in and provide attendees with a different flavor profile — pulled pork tacos, nachos and more. By that time, though, it is too late for some Festival-goers. “At the end of the day,” Garrett said, “we have people leaving at like 3:30 — and the event goes until 4:30 — and we’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ They’ll go, ‘I can not eat another bite; I’m done.’ In that case, OK — you’re allowed to leave.”

Bacon and Beer
8th annual New Hampshire Bacon and Beer Festival
When: Saturday, June 1, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Where: outdoor fields of Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack. Tickets: $60 each, or $120 each for VIP tickets, which allow early admittance and on-site parking. Tickets are available at the Festival’s website (nhbaconbeer.com). General admission tickets will be available at the gate for $80. Tickets for designated drivers will be $35 at the gate, while supplies last.
Live music will be provided by The Slakas (theslakas.com).
Free overflow parking across the street at Elbit Systems.
Event is 21+. No one under 21 years of age may enter the festival gates, including designated drivers, babies and toddlers.