What’s the buzz in town? The fourth Annual Craft Beer Week is starting this Friday, May 13. This week is known for the appreciation of local breweries and brews, with more than 50 different events that will run until Sunday, May 22.

 “The week is a great opportunity for people who may not have been to the breweries, to find something they would enjoy, and to attend an event that may appeal to them that they haven’t experienced before,” owner of Lexington Beer Scene and organizer of Craft Beer Week Chris Vandergrift said.

Craft Beer Week is presented by Lexington Beer Scene, an online calendar of all beer, brewery and food truck related events in Lexington.

“We strive to push (the breweries) to have more creative interesting events each year and I think that allows them to reach out to a broader audience than they might have been able to reach before,” Vandergrift said.

The events throughout the week will range from beer dinners at HopCat, to special tappings at Ethereal, to rare beer releases at the Beer Trappe.

“We strive to push everyone to have more creative interesting events each year and I think that allows them to reach out to a broader audience than they might have been able to reach before,” Vandergrift said.

One event in particular is that of the Beer Cheese Contest located at Country Boy Brewing. To participate in the contest, one can register in advance to submit their beer cheese. But for those just wanting to enjoy the entries can do so at the tasting on Sunday, May 15.

“The general public can come in and donate $5 to a charity and you can taste all of the cheese that you want,” Vandergrift said. “They then pick a general public’s favorite and they (we) have a panel of cheese judges as well. So there are a couple prizes.”

Throughout the week local breweries will hold and host events at their locations. The five local breweries are that of Country Boy, West Sixth, Blue Stallion, Kentucky Ale and Ethereal brewing. Restaurants like HopCat, Pies & Pints, Pazzo’s and many more will also be taking part in the action.

The craft beer booklets, or the guide for the week, will be in the Chevy Chaser and Southside Magazines.

“All of the local breweries are locally-owned and I know all of the owners and they live in the Lexington and Georgetown area. So by coming out and supporting the breweries and craft beer locations you are supporting local,” Vandergrift said. “And I think that is pretty important.”