Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ

This event already had some of the best things going for it: beer, bourbon and BBQ, but then The Bacon Jams showed up just to round it out. When I pulled up to the historic Cow Palace at the Maryland State Fairgrounds I knew I was in for a treat due to the huge array of premium beer and bourbon producers already setting up. I was also excited to see some of our favorite vendors, such as Whisky Rocks and Hank Sauce.

The Bacon Jams booth was located in the sweetest spot directly between the Du Claw tent and the band stand. The show opened with a wave of thirsty beer heads eager to sample the best brews known to man. The news of bacon jams spread quickly through the crowd and we had a queue formed up for almost the whole event.The band was jamming the whole time, but it never drowned out the inevitable “oooohhhh!” that spread throughout the crowd, shaming every poor soul who dropped their precious tasting glass on the unforgiving floor.

 This part of beer culture sits in sharp contrast to the refined style of wine tasting. The highlight of the event for me was when the event coordinator came over to the booth for two cases of bacon jam. Was he buying it for personal use? No, Bacon Jam eating contest! The winner won $100.07, a mug, a Bacon Jams Tee, and the joy of devouring two jars of bacon jam in under 3 minutes. I honestly don’t know how he did it.

We could not have done this one with out Jake and Bev helping with the booth, Bruce bringing extra product down from Philly after we sold out, or Hubby for keeping my glass full with delectable suds. Oh, I also got to eat lake trout for the first time which was a big item on my bucket list ever since falling in love with HBO’s hit and best TV show ever, The Wire.