Bremerton craft beer drinkers have long craved a brewery in downtown. An Olympic College grad wants to satisfy their thirst.
Jesse Wilson and wife Tasha recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for LoveCraft Brewing Company, a small-batch brewery they plan to locate in the midst of downtown. Their goal is to raise $30,000 by the end of October. As of Wednesday evening, 76 backers had already kicked in close to $9,000.
The crowdsourced money
won’t cover all the costs of launching a brewery, but
Jesse said it will give them critical boost.
“It’s enough we can go to a bank with a solid business plan and collateral,” he said.
Jesse, a 2004 Olympic High graduate and 2006 OC graduate, is currently an assistant brewer at Port Townsend Brewing and has previous experience at Hale’s Ales in Seattle. He and Tasha met while working in the craft beer industry.
They like brewing “farmhouse” beers – traditional Belgian and French styles. But Jesse said he also has a lineup of Northwest favorites like IPAs.
When it came to picking a location, the couple saw untapped opportunity in downtown Bremerton. They’re looking for space near Sixth Street and Pacific Avenue.
“We see a lot of potential there,” Jesse said. “It seems like a great place to open a brewery to us.”
LoveCraft would join Kitsap staple Silver City Brewery and Manette’s Der Blokken Brewery in the Bremerton area. An additional eight breweries are scattered across the county, with another set to open in Kingston soon.
If all goes to plan, Jesse believes LoveCraft could be brewing by mid-2015.
“I’m excited to join the ranks of Kitsap brewers,” he said. “I think there’s plenty of room.”
Courtesy images. Inset art by Eric JS Wahlquist.
Check out my Kitsap On Tap coverage from earlier this year and the Sun’s beer page to read more about the county’s brewing scene. You can also find beer news and profiles of every Kitsap brewery here.
