
The 2018 Bacon & Beer Fest took place at The Steel Yard in Providence on June 10. The sold-out event featured food from 28 local restaurants, each offering its favorite bacon dish to pair with a beer from the 28 breweries in attendance. Local restaurants included The East End, El Rancho Grande, Nicks on Broadway, The Salted Slate and the Wharf Pub Newport, while local, regional and national participating breweries included Whalers Brewing, Devil’s Purse Brewing Co., Revival Brewing Co., Foolproof Brewing Company, Narragansett Brewing Co., Two Roads and Beer’d Brewing Co., among many others. Guests voted on their favorite bacon and beer pairing for the “People’s Choice” award, which went to Two Roads Brewing Company of Stratford, Connecticut and Boru Noodle Bar of Newport.
- Keepsakes at the second annual Bacon & Beer Fest.
- First place pairing award winners were Two Roads Brewing Company of Stratford, Connecticut and Boru Noodle Bar. Casey Shea, Chef/Owner, Boru Noodle Bar; Steve Lucier, Chef/Owner, Boru Noodle Bar; Bryan Benedict, Craft Brand Manager, Horizon Beverage Co.; and Bill McAvoy, Brewing Manager, Two Roads Brewing Company.
- Staff members at the second-annual Bacon & Beer Fest in Providence.
- Alex Swensen, Brewer, Cambridge Brewing Co.
- Dan Nieves, Southern New England Territory Manager, Allagash Brewing Co., pouring the company’s James Bean, a Belgian Tripel aged in bourbon barrels with cold pressed coffee.
- Jamie Buscher, Marketing Manager, Narragansett Brewing Co. and Mandy Holt, Promotional Lead, Narragansett Brewing Co., with the new 16-oz. cans of It’s About Time IPA, which debuted at Bacon & Beer Fest.
- Narragansett Brewing Co. debuted its new 16-oz. can format of It’s About Time IPA.
- Marissa Leprade, JC’s Butcher Shop; Kevin Matos, JC’s Butcher Shop; Nicolette Amaral, JC’s Butcher Shop; Chris Charest, Regional Brewery Rep., Stone Brewing Co.; and Chris Martin, Regional Sales Manager Southern New England, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales.
- Stone Brewing’s unfiltered Fear.Movie.Lions Double IPA was paired with a dish from JC’s Butcher Shop.
- Sean Larkin, Co-founder, Troop and Co-owner, Revival Brewing Co.; Jason Timothy (JT), Co-founder and Head Chef, Troop; Brian Oakley, Co-owner, Julian’s and Pizza J; Shayna Healey, Server, Troop; John Richard, Owner, The Avery and The PTX Lounge; and Michaela Brinkley, Customer Service and Marketing Coordinator, Revival Brewing Co. The group holds the first in a series of sours from Revival.
- Jay Catley, Sales Manager, Foolproof Brewing Co., pouring Grotto IPA.
- Jessica DiFruscio, Cookie Creator, Ocean State Sandwich Company; Eric Handwerger, Owner, Ocean State Sandwich Company; and Jeff Gaudreau, Sales Representative, Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.
- Back Row: Dan Nieves, Southern New England Territory Manager, Allagash Brewing Co.; Steve Sharp, Head Brewer, Foolproof Brewing Co.; and Matthew Miller, Bartender, Mews Tavern. Front Row: Attendee; Chris Martin, Regional Sales Manager Southern New England, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales; and Brendan Reilly, General Manager and Head Chef, Mews Tavern.
- Rick Pettiford, New England Territory Manager, Heavy Seas Brewing; Sam Royds, Bartender, The East End; and Emerson Bontecou, Chef, The East End.
- Dan Johnson, Sales Rep, 14th Star Brewing Co.
- Timmy Riley, Brewer, Devil’s Purse Brewing Co. and Josh Blakely, Brand Ambassador, Devi’s Purse Brewing Co.
- Hannah Freeman and Cassie Tasich, Promotions Team, Whaler’s Brewing Co.
- Kelly Ijichi, Visiting Chef, Nicks on Broadway; Derek Wagner, Owner/Chef, Nicks on Broadway; and Marcus Adams, New England Sales Manager, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
- Precious Putnam, Owner, Beer’d Brewing Co. and Aaren Putnam, Owner, Beer’d Brewing Co.
- Ballast Point Brewing Co.’s Sour Wench Blackberry Ale, which features members of the Ballast Point Brewing Co. staff in the background on the label.
- Ezra Juskewitch, Northeast Events Coordinator, Lagunitas Brewing Co., David Podsnap, Owner, Galactic Theater, Lindsay Silvia, Bartender, Galactic Theater.
- Anthony Accardi, Co-founder, Transmitter Brewing; John Sepulveda, Owner, Feast Sandwich Company; and Alyssa Pampiano, Feast Sandwich Co.
- Jonathan Beres, Owner, Tilly’s Cheesesteaks; Rob Dennis, Chef, Tilly’s Cheesesteaks; Lindsay Letourneau, Designer, Shaidzon; Josh Letourneau, Owner and Brewer, Shaidzon; and Rob Spellman, Tasting Room, Proclamation Ale Company.
- Far right: Bobby Sanville, Sales Rep., Southern New England-Craft & Specialty, Constellation Brands with a group of guests and participants.
Photos by Laura Widness.