The second annual Maine Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay on Saturday, July 14, will be more of a tasting than a festival says Maine Brewers’ Guild President Dan Kleban.

The event showcases the best of what Maine beer brewers have to offer. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to sample recipes the general public never gets to see.

Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay will be at the Boothbay Resort from 1 to 4 p.m., with a VIP party starting at noon. Proceeds support the Maine Brewers’ Guild.

A barbeque feast and live music are also part of this year’s festival, but as Kleban said during a recent interview, it is all about the beer.

Last year’s craft beer festival was a huge success, Kleban said. Organizers invited Sam Calagione, president and founder of Dog Fish Head brewery in Delaware. The folks from Delaware will return this year, along with Portsmouth, N.H., -based Smutty Nose brewery.

This year’s beer festival will be a little different. Those with VIP tickets will have first crack at tasting some very special brews, in addition to chatting with the brewers in a more intimate setting. All Maine breweries are expected to be participating in the event, many of whom will bring limited edition brews or those that will be available only at the festival.

While participants can sample as much beer as they want, it is not a drunk fest, Kleban said. He expects people will have a good time and will be responsible beer tasters, but pourers this year will all have received Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) certification. This works to ensure that all beer tasters are of legal age and have a good time, without over-consuming.

Organizers expect a good crowd, a maximum of about 400 people, according to organizer Tami Kennedy of Shipyard Brewery in Portland. The idea behind the event, she said, is to bring brewers and brewery owners together, so that tasters have a chance to talk with those who decide which brews are being made this year.

“We’re very fortunate here in Maine to have so many craft brewers,” Kennedy said, adding there are very few festivals at which people have the same intimate, casual atmosphere to meet the brewers and understand what goes into making craft beer.

According to the national Brewers’ Association (www.brewersassociation.org), the definition of a craft brewery is one that produces no more than 6 million barrels of beer a year. Maine has more than 30 craft breweries.

“I always want to drink local beer,” Kennedy said. “When I’m traveling, I look and see what the local beers are. It shows the personality and flavor of an area.”

Beer drinkers know what they like and the number of people attending this year’s event indicates the increased draw toward craft beer. Kleban said he thinks more people are seeking locally made products, as well as a diversity of beers.

“Brewers are artisans. We’re not robots,” Kleban said. “There are real people who make these recipes.”

There is no single answer to what makes a good beer, much beyond the passion individual brewer’s pour into their craft. With so many ingredients, techniques and regional character thrown into the brewer’s pot – and therefore so much variety – what makes a good beer in the small craft brew industry is subjective.

“I think people are craving things they know have a story behind them,” Kleban said. “And with beer, they know the people who make it.”

For more information about the Maine Brewers’ Guild, visit www.mainebrewersguild.org. Tickets for the festival may be purchased online or by phone through Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006, ext. 1.