The Washington Beer
Commission announced the 21 breweries confirmed for Bremerton’s
July 23 barley bash, the suds soiree, the intoxication celebration,
the hops haps, the brew to-do and the ale swale. It’s Bremerton
Summer BrewFest! (The exclamation point was on the commission’s
press release and is not a reflection of my own attitudes about the
event. I can tell you the exclamation point is an accurate
description of some of my workmates.)
Admission is $15 ($20 at the door) if you’re a drinker and you buy your ticket early. It’s $5 if you don’t drink, but you get a soda and water for the privilege of watching everyone else drink and then driving them all home or somewhere else. I guess sober people like music, too. So they can listen to Tumbledown, The New Old Stock and Lutes & Liars.
Sober or not, there will be no smoking allowed.
So far 21 breweries have confirmed and three more are anticipated. They’ll pour more than 50 kinds of beers. Entrants get a five-ounce glass and five tokens to sample. Unlike wine-tasting events, people won’t be tasting and spitting. Well, they might be spitting, but it won’t be beer. The event will be on Pacific Avenue between Burwell and Sixth Streets from noon to 9 p.m.
The commission is expecting about 2,000 people. You can buy popcorn and pretzels on site, but the organizers are hoping you’ll visit a nearby restaurant instead.
Ticket sales and more information are available at www.washingtonbeer.com.
The 21 Washington breweries participating are:
American Brewing Company, Edmonds
Battenkill Brewing. Poulsbo
DerBlokken Brewery, Bremerton
Diamond Knot Brewery, Everett
Elysian Brewing, Seattle
Fremont Brewing Company, Seattle
Georgetown Brewing, Seattle
Hale’s Ales Brewery, Seattle
Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston
Iron horse Brewery, Ellensburg
Mac & Jack’s Brewing, Redmond
New Belgium Brewing, Seattle
Pike Brewing, Seattle
Port Townsend Brewing, Port Townsend
Redhook Brewery, Woodinville
Roslyn Brewing, Roslyn
Silver City Brewery, Bremerton
Slippery Pig Brewery, Poulsbo
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing, Snoqualmie
Sound Brewery, Poulsbo
Valholl Brewing, Poulsbo
“Admission is $15 ($20 at the door)”….”Entrants get a five-ounce glass and five tokens to sample”… 5oz. x 5oz. = 25oz. That would only be about two 12oz. cans of beer. So not only do you have to pay about 10 bucks for 12oz of beer; you also only get two drink two cans worth. I am sure they will have some tasty beers but all in all it’s not worth it in my opinion.
Compare to Seattle International Beer Fest.
$20 in advance
$25 at the door
4 oz servings
10 tickets
BEERS WILL COST 1-6 TICKETS depending on how much it cost the festival
You can buy extra tickets for $1
Non-drinkers pay $5
Bremerton’s brewfest isn’t so outrageously priced if this is the sort of thing you are in to. It’s not a place to get drunk, but a place to try new brew. These are local beers rather than international, but hey, support your local economy, farmers, and craftsmen. 🙂
By the way, I don’t like beer so I more than likely will not be going unless my husband needs a driver.
Pricing sounds about right compared to Seattle beerfest. Especially if all the beers are 1 token.
On the price I would suggest that this event isn’t like going to the Sev and finding something to get your buzz on. Not that you were suggesting that, perhaps, but I want to be clear.
Steven Gardner
Peninsular Thinking distiller