The incredible variety of microbrews available for sampling during Saturday’s Gate City Brewfest in Old Town Pocatello was reflective of a statewide trend.

Though Pocatello only recently received its second brewery, there are now dozens in the Treasure Valley area alone, and more than 50 in the state. In fact, according to the Brewers Association, Idaho is 10th in the nation for breweries per capita.

Davis Gove, co-owner of Jim Dandy Brewing, which opened in Pocatello last summer, said he thinks those numbers will only grow.

“If you look across the U.S, there’s been a very large boom in breweries,” he said. “Boise is already seeing it, and you’re starting to see it in Southeast Idaho, too. I think it’s definitely a fair bet to say there’s going to be more openings in the area.”

In addition to Pocatello’s two breweries (Jim Dandy Brewing and Portneuf Valley Brewing) participants in Brewfest had the chance to sample beer from all over the state, including Grand Teton Brewing Co. in Victor, Wallace Brewing Co. in Wallace, Idaho Brewing Co. in Idaho Falls, and Mad Swede, Woodland Empire and Payette breweries, all located in Boise.

Brewfest, in its ninth year, is a fundraiser for Old Town Pocatello, Inc., and the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce.

For Penny Pink, owner of Portneuf Valley Brewing, it’s a much different landscape than when she first opened.

“When I started 23 years ago, some of the beers on tap I couldn’t give away,” she said. “Pocatello, in particular, was very much a Bud Light kind of town. People just didn’t know any other styles.”

Pink said she has spent the past two decades educating people on the many varieties of craft beer, something that eventually caught on.

“Now bitter and sour beers are all the rage,” she said.

Hailee Matkins, co-owner of Jim Dandy, believes a demand for craft beer has existed in the town for many years.

“I think a lot of people in Pocatello have been wanting more breweries for a long, long time,” she said. “For whatever reason, people think that people in Pocatello don’t drink or like breweries. There is a pretty big non-drinking population, but there’s a lot of people that like beer. As long as the beer is good, the demand is always going to be there.”

And the demand is definitely here. Hundreds of people flooded restaurants, bars and breweries participating in Brewfest, lining up for stouts, sours and IPAs from breweries all over the West.

Gove said the popularity of events like Brewfest exemplifies the need for more breweries in the area.

“When it comes to beer tourism, it’s really hard to have that in a place that only has one brewery,” he said. “So I think the more we get, the more we’ll see beer tourism because it starts to become an accessible location.”

Brewfest also displays the sense of camaraderie between the area’s different brewers.

“There’s a lot of us, but it’s not super competitive,” said Taylor Steele, an employee of Payette Brewing Co. in Boise. “It’s more collaborative. It’s kind of fun to compare recipes and styles. It’s crazy to see all the options that people come up with.”

Pink added that the increase in breweries has helped her when she’s needed to borrow tools or ingredients, and she’s always awed at the partnership breweries share.

“One of the things that continues to amaze me,” she said, “is how many brewers are willing to essentially come together and give all of our beer away.”

Breweries aside, Pink also said she’s amazed at the changing demographics of those who come out each year to enjoy local craft beers.

“This is still a difficult demographic in this area, but it has evolved,” she said. “The shift that I’ve seen is that it’s not just young professionals that are coming in. I’ve had people wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, folks that I never would have seen walk through the door 15 or 20 years ago.”

Gove said he’s just pleased that the pale ale tide is rising.

“Anything that can get more consumers into craft beer, I think, is a great thing,” he said.