The annual Microbrew Festival on the Pecos will return, from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday at the Pecos River Village Conference Center.
The microbrew industry began to ferment in Carlsbad in fall 2016 with the opening of Milton’s Brewing on Mermod Street.
Then, in January the city’s microbrew options grew to two with Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Company opening on National Parks Highway.
But Carlsbad’s brew IQ began to distill five years ago with the city’s first-ever microbrew festival.
And this weekend, the annual Microbrew Festival on the Pecos will return, from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday at the Pecos River Village Conference Center.
Hosted by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the festival offers samples from 10 New Mexican brewers, including the two locals.
Chamber CEO Robert Defer said the event to diversified the weekend activities available to Carlsbad residents and visitors.
He said about 1,000 people will likely show up to sample the offerings, and dine on five local food vendors.
Local musician Robin Scott will provide live entertainment for the event, steeped in his unique blend of blues, rock and funk.
That growth, Defer said, can be credited to the nicer weather as late-spring temperatures heat up in Carlsbad, and attendees can enjoy more time outdoors.
Jameson Lucas, Milton's director of branding, marketing and events said the local microbrew scene is built on collaboration, and has grown consistently in Carlsbad and southern New Mexico over the past four years.
"We've seen it come a long way," he said. "In the southern part of the state, we've seen several pop up."
Local, independent breweries can bolster local entertainment scenes, Lucas said, while offering residents a taste of something new.
"It helps expand the cultural pallet of the community," he said. "It helps introduce people to beer they might not have tried. It helps build the culture of the community."
Microbreweries are defined by the volume they are licensed to produce, typically restricted to brewing about 15,000 barrels per year and required to sell most of it off premises.
The term is often confused with craft beer, which is often produced at microbreweries.
"Craft beer" defines the style of the libation itself: usually including the independent nature of the beer’s production, and non-traditional or innovative brewing methods.
Most craft beer is made in microbreweries, but not all microbreweries brew craft beer.
Regardless of what it is called, Defer said he expects Carlsbad’s independent beer scene to continue growing along with the city.
Advanced tickets for the Microbrew Festival on the Pecos are $20 online or in person at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, 302 S. Canal St.
At the door, tickets are $25.
VIP tickets are still available for $50. They come with a T-shirt, commemorative pint glass, and access to the festival an hour early at 3 p.m.
Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold, ensuring purchasers avoid long waits in line to try whatever intriguing ale, lager or stout that titillates their taste buds.
Desert Sky Barrel Racing is hosting its third race of the 2018 season, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Eddy County Sheriff's Posse.
Lubbock singer/songwriter Jerry Serrano is performing at 7 p.m., Saturday at the Lucky Brew.
The First Baptist Church of Otis is hosting a "free family fun day", featuring a bouncy house and other activities starting at 5 p.m., Saturday at the church.
A free concert and bike show is planned for 4 p.m., May 19 at Carlsbad Ford Lincoln.
Endangered species day will be celebrated with two days of free educational activities, nature walks and crafts, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May 18 at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.