In July of 2011, Bremerton will officially enter into the world of the brew festival. Brewers from all over the city and county will join together for a short period of time to celebrate the best of all things beer.

Having attended many beer and wine festivals since the dawning of my 21st birthday, I welcome the arrival of this local festival with wide open arms. What I really love about the awarding of this particular festival to Bremerton, besides the close proximity to my personal residence, is the fact that it was local residents who explored the idea, committed much of their own time to the proposal and then pitched it to the appropriate organization. Excellent job, my friends.

Of course right out of the gate there are the naysayers that automatically assume that because an event that involves alcohol is being held in Bremerton that it will quickly disintegrate into just a drunken, DUI-filled brawl. Not so, I say. For one, the tickets to get into these types of events and the small top shelf samples that come with it are not cheap.

For those who are not true connoisseurs, and whose sole desire it is to simply get wasted on a nice summer day, this event is not for you. For the simple reason that to achieve your shortsighted goal in the most economical and expedient manner possible that same amount of entry fee money would be much better spent on a half rack of cheap, mass-produced, watered-down swill containing the word “light” somewhere in the description.

For the rest of us who are looking for an alternative to Whaling Days and want to try something new, the beer festival will be a refreshing, fun and welcome change. With the full support of Mayor Patty Lent and a coordinated and planned effort by the city, the event organizers and various involved citizens, I have complete confidence that issues such as parking, crowd control, safety and traffic enforcement will be planned out and handled. Detailed, easy to understand information about the entire process will be made available to the community and potential attendees well in advance of the event.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Bremerton. I want to say thank you to all who were involved in making it possible. Here’s to raising a frosty beer-filled pint to the Bremerton Brew Festival 2011.

Cheers.