I have been to various beer and wine festivals over the years. The BrewFest in Portland is one of the biggest I have attended, and on more than one occasion. While I have enjoyed traveling to these other festivals, having the opportunity to attend one within easy walking distance of my home has a considerable amount of appeal.

What a great time Jason and I had this past Saturday at the Inaugural Bremerton BrewFest. The weather was glorious. Pacific Avenue was packed. The beer was great. The people were fun. Right now, this event is by far the “talk of the town.”

Who could ask for more than that?

Bremerton’s first attempt at a BrewFest was far from perfect.

The naysayers are already out in force, but I would still consider it to be an excellent starting point to build from during the coming years.

Sure, vendors started running out of beer around 4:30 p.m.;  the lines were very, very long and snack foods needed to be more prevalent with easier to access without leaving the venue.

The upside of the long lines came when we ran into so many friends and people that we knew from the community while waiting in the lines. Catching up with each other made the wait times a very worthwhile and fun.

Take into consideration that the decision to host this festival in Bremerton only happened this past January, and I say the local organizers did extremely well with the limited amount of time available to launch what is sure to become a returning local event.

Bugs? So what!

People who have the ability to see past a singular moment of personal instant gratification get the fact that bugs in the system and logistical planning for long-term future success must, on occasion, be worked out through the actual experience itself.

I am confident that valuable lessons were learned about advertising the event, organizing the lines and making sure the vendors bring more of their product next year.

A big thank you to everyone involved in getting this craft beer event off the ground.

I know several of the locally involved individuals personally and realize how much of their time was dedicated to this event – they set a precedent and laid a foundation for the success of future events.

Having positive fun festival and event choices in Bremerton is a good thing. Even though there are people who don’t like beer just as there are people who don’t like blackberries.

Providing the community with diverse event choices is a passion and a drive felt by many in this city whether they are elected officials, city leaders, business owners or residents.

Here is to Bremerton BrewFest 2012. Cheers.