In Chicago, there’s an obsession with hot dogs. Seattle, seafood. New York: pizza; here: hot chicken.
Our famous food attractions are many and varied all across this country, but apparently, there are a few things you can put on a plate and in a glass that bring us all together. Specifically, bacon and beer. Or so it seems, given the success of the Bacon and Beer Classic, held in stadiums in every one of those cities, and many others.
Nashville’s Bacon and Beer Classic is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Nissan Stadium on the East Nashville side of the river. And like all the other Bacon and Beer Classics nationwide, there’ll be figurative rivers of craft beer flowing, with restaurants and chefs from all over the city sharing bites to soak that up.
food/beer
The mix of participants is still coming together, but the initial list of Nashville restaurants and food pros is already an impressive cross-section of what our scene offers. There’s classic Southern fare (The Loveless Cafe) and upscale Southern cuisine (Germantown’s SILO), a little New Orleans flair (East Nashville’s Tenn Sixteen), on-the-move Asian flavors (the Bao Down food truck) and lots more.
Everyone’s making bacon-focused or bacon-infused dishes, and ticket-holders get to try more than 30 different creations, so things could get a little salty. Good thing there’s beer.
On the beer front, we know there’ll be local and regional craft breweries in the mix, and that there’ll be more than 80 flavors to sample, with unlimited tasting pours over your three-hour tour. Names are still rolling in, but respect to one of our local participants, Fat Bottom Brewing, who’ll be smack in the middle of getting their new home in The Nations set up, after shutting down their longtime East Nashville location on October 1.
competition
What with being housed in a stadium, there’s a competition component to the Bacon and Beer Classic too — judges will be there checking out the restaurants and breweries, choosing winning flavors in a blend of categories (best, weirdest, etc. etc.).
There are chances for attendees to compete too, with a bunch of interactive games (of course there’s a bacon eating contest), plus chances to learn, with cooking demos and “beer school” sessions.
getting in
Tickets are already on sale for the two Nashville Bacon and Beer Classic sessions (a lunch-y one at 1 p.m., and dinner-y at 7 p.m.). They’re $59 per person, and going in a group unlocks various discounts. Grab yours at BaconandBeerClassic.com.
If your particular brand of athletic prowess leans more toward winning a bacon-eating contest than nailing a field goal, this is your time to shine on the Titans’ field.
Lots more info on the Bacon and Beer Classic website.
If you make it down, please tag us on Instagram or Twitter — we’d love to see what kind of bacon-y adventures you get into!