POCATELLO — Local brewers Chris White and Justin Arias believe many future customers will discover their respective businesses on Saturday afternoon, when Gate City Brewfest makes a long-awaited return.

When Gate City Brewfest was last hosted, Portneuf Valley Brewing, 615 S. First Ave., and Jim Dandy Brewing, 305 S. Lander St., were the sole Pocatello microbreweries showcasing their handmade lagers and ales alongside some of the country’s most popular brands.

The event will take place on Saturday afternoon following a hiatus, forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. A pair of new microbreweries based in Historic Downtown Pocatello will be pouring their own recipes — White is the owner and brewer of Star Route Brewery, 218 N. Main St., and Arias brews for Off the Rails Brewing, 228 S. Main St.

Brewfest is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. and will include stops at 22 participating bars, restaurants and microbreweries. It’s a fundraiser for both Historic Downtown Pocatello and Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce.

About 80 beer varieties from 32 breweries will be served. Organizers anticipate selling wristbands to about 1,500 participants.

“I think it’s really going to help the business out quite a bit,” White said. “We still get people coming in on a daily basis saying, ‘We didn’t realize you were open.’”

White said business has been picking up at Star Route, which recently started offering food service. He plans to sell barbecue sandwiches during the event and will have a band playing during the final hours of Brewfest and afterwards. He said Star Route will also offer seating in its spacious outdoor patio.

White said seltzers have been trendy lately, and Star Route is among the few breweries in the region serving them. During Brewfest, he plans to pour a hoppy lime seltzer.

“Normally when I go to these kinds of events it’s all IPA, IPA, IPA. I figured we’d throw something out a little bit different,” White said.

Arias said Off the Rails is also still seeing plenty of first-time customers, and he’s eager for the opportunity on Saturday to showcase his microbrewery to more of them.

“We’re definitely looking forward to having a Brewfest as far as just getting people to get out here more,” Arias said.

Arias plans to serve some lighter, summer-appropriate beers during Brewfest. Among his taps will be a Mexican lager and a City Creek Session IPA, which will be hoppy but lower in alcohol.

One One Seven, located at 117 S. Main St., will also be participating as a first-time location.

Matt Hunter, president and CEO of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce, said this will be the 10th anniversary of Brewfest. The theme will be “Cheers to 10 Years.”

Tickets are available at gatecitybrewfest.com for $25 until midnight on Friday and will be $30 on the day of the event. Participants may redeem their wristbands or buy tickets at four locations: the Historic Downtown Pocatello Pavilion, 420 N. Main St., the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce office, 324 S. Main St., Center Street Clubhouse, 542 E. Center St., and Portneuf Valley Brewing.

New this year is a VIP event, which will be from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Downtown Pavilion. A few brewers will be present and unique beers will be served. Participants will also receive a special T-shirt, mug, lanyard, badge and pint glass. Hunter said tickets to the event would be capped at 100 people, with tickets offered for $65 through 5 p.m. Thursday.

Participating breweries donate their kegs for Brewfest. The proceeds are split evenly between the Chamber and Historic Downtown Pocatello.

Brewfest is normally hosted in March, but Hunter explained it was pushed back this year due to COVID-19 and to enable participating businesses to serve customers outdoors. The organizations will also host a second event, called Brewfest 2, on Sept. 17.

Hunter said the two events combined generate about $60,000 in revenue, and having them canceled due to COVID-19 was a blow to both organizations’ operating budgets.

“We’re both excited to have those events back in place and it supports all of the work we do,” Hunter said.