Beer is now for breakfast

The old cliche “beer is not just for breakfast anymore” loses relevancy in the shadow of the seventh annual Beer and Bacon Festival at the Millinneum Hotel in Anchorage this Saturday from 1-6 PM. Get your tickets now; this event sells out quicker every year.

Beer and bacon share an odd relationship. Adult males seem to have a strong penchant for both. Most don’t consider the two table mates because bacon is primarily considered a breakfast food and beer isn’t a good replacement for milk or orange juice. This is just a paradigm that tends to keep the two apart.

Serious beer lovers — and especially foodies — know better. I do. I have beer for breakfast and I can eat bacon all day. A BLT, bowl of tomato soup and a hoppy American pale ale make an awesome combination. Wrap anything in bacon — breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks — and the food comes to life. Pair that with a beer and it gets better still.

If you are like me and want to participate in a venue that features the best of both, the web address for additional information and from which to obtain tickets is a little clunky, but surf out to the-lakefront-anchorage.ticketleap.com/7th-annual-beer-and-bacon-festival/dates/Jul-27-2019_at_0100PM for all of the deets on this epic event.

This celebration of all things bacon doesn’t treat beer as an afterthought, but brings Alaska’s craft brewing and culinary artisanship together in one place with a different twist than most other beer and food pairing events.

A small plate serving format will expose you to specialty bacon treats created by our local culinary masters from venues including Glacier Brewhouse, Phat Kid, Matanuska Brewing Company, The Pubhouse, Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse, Midnight Sun Brewing Company, NANA Management Services, Sweet Caribou and Bread and Brew, to name a few.

Attend and not only bevvy-up and bacon-up to your capacity, but sign up to participate in a bacon eating contest and possibly be crowned the Bacon King or Bacon Queen, participate in lawn games on the shores of beautiful Lake Spenard behind the hotel where the event takes place and rock to the tunes of Blackwater Railroad. Vote for your favorite bacon dish.

This event is very definitively a charity event. “A couple of years ago, I redesigned the festival to focus on charity,” says Greg Beltz, general manager of the Lakefront. “My objective is to switch it up every year now with a different local charity. In light of all of the things going on in our state right now, this annual event is a great time to remind people and businesses to do what they can to give back to the organizations that support and give help where it’s needed. We’re messaging that this festival is really about charity, and in midsummer, this festival is among the largest in town,” he says.

This year, proceeds from the event will go to Covenant House Alaska. “Last year, the festival benefited the American Cancer Society and before that, the MS Society, but we’ve shifted the focus to organizations that need our help right here at home. A side benefit is that this has helped with marketing the event that’s a rock solid sell-out every year and has increased exposure for the organizations we want to benefit,” says Beltz.

According to the Lakefront’s press release, “hundreds of homeless, runaway and trafficked youth come in and out of our doors each month,” said Covenant House Alaska Executive Director Alison Kear. “The proceeds from the festival will help each of them get one step closer to the long-term support they need and continue on a path to create the best version of themselves.”

Integral to the event is a raffle with a wide range of prizes including gift certificates from the participating eateries, and “Growler Tower,” or “Beeramid” where winners can score free growler fills from each of the breweries on hand to support the event.

The explosive popularity of the event has created a little disdain from those that have tried to get tickets but missed out because the event sold out too quickly. “It’s definitely a fun event and the venue people always tell me ‘you need a bigger venue, c’mon, I couldn’t get tickets and really wanted to go’, but once you take it away from who’s putting it on and change the size, it changes it all.”

I agree. I reminded Beltz that it’s not about the size and that sometimes exclusivity matters more than making an bigger just because you can. “Sure, you could achieve a goal of bringing in more people and bolstering what you give to charity, but the event would lose it’s charm and suddenly you’re just another big beer festival that people go to just because it is, not because of what it is and what it’s for,” I said.

Festival size also affects brewery participation during the busiest time of the year for our local brewers when an influx of tourists drives production schedules to the limit and brewers struggle just to keep up, and donating to and participating in beer festivals can be a logistical nightmare. Beltz is very focused and specific on the breweries that support the event.

“I didn’t add any new breweries this year. Again, part of the issue is the size of the venue and with the loyalty from the existing brewers, they really like it, and I bring them back every year because they have always strongly supported it and it’s an easy festival for them. They all showcase something new, a new flavor. I have Kodiak to come up; Ben’s sending a couple kegs, Turnaigan and Girdwood are back to support us again this year. These brewers are just a good group of people that really like this,” says Beltz.

Participating breweries this year include Alaskan Brewing Company, 49th State Brewing Company, Kodiak Island Brewery, Midnight Sun Brewing Company, Glacier Brewhouse Brewery, Matanuska Brewing, Odd Man Rush Brewing, Girdwood Brewing Company, Denali Brewing Company, Broken Tooth Brewing, Turnagain Brewing, Kenai River Brewing, Bear Paw Brewing, Kassik’s Brewery, King Street Brewing Company and Resolution Brewing. Double Shovel and Alaska Ciderworks are also participating again this year. Since Blackwater Railroad is doing the music, of note is a beer made just for the band by Matanuska Brewing Company. Blackwater Live Ale is a light, American blonde ale that’s designed to be light and easy to drink and compliments the band by providing a sessionable, delicate brew weighing in at 5.5 percent alcohol by volume which makes tossing back more than one reasonable during events where good music inspires good sipping in our great state.

I love bacon and of course, I love local beer. Who cares what time of the day I enjoy both. This tight little gig every year is a family-oriented event, so plan on spending a leisurely summer afternoon enjoying the best of the best in local beer, bacon and music right here at home.