Discriminating beer fans, rejoice.

The Fourth Annual Blues & Brews fest — one of the largest beer festivals in Northeast Ohio — returns Saturday to Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron.

About 80 breweries will be represented, offering about 180 beers, meads and ciders. This year, there will be an even stronger contingent of Ohio breweries.

More than 20 Ohio brewers are scheduled to attend.

''Here's your chance to taste your favorite Ohio brewery against everyone else in the country,'' said John Najeway, festival organizer and owner of Akron's Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.

The festival, sponsored by WKSU (89.7-FM), Thirsty Dog and the Winking Lizard, continues to grow. Last year, about 2,300 people attended, up from about 700 the first year. Organizers are hoping for between 2,500 and 3,000 this year.

''It's a premier event to have in our backyard,'' Najeway said. ''Akron and the surrounding area have proven that they like good beer because they come out to support it.''

Debonne Vineyards in Madison will make its festival debut at the event.

''This is the very first one,'' said Tony Debevc Jr., Debonne owner and assistant brewer.

The family-owned winery, established in 1916, started the Cellar Rats Brewery this year and is now making Rat Trap Lager, Rat Tail Ale and Field Rat Wheat. (The rat refers to the nickname for some winery workers and not the four-legged animals.)

Right now, the beer is sold only on the premises in draft or in growlers for takeout. So the Blues & Brews fest is the best chance to taste the beer without driving to the brewery — as is the case with many of the Ohio beer makers that will be at the event.

Blues & Brews runs from 2 to 6 p.m.

There will be a special VIP tasting from noon to 2 p.m. The Brewers' Circle will include beer brewed just for that tasting, including a special keg from Rogue Ales.

The festival also will feature a book signing by author John Schlimm, who wrote the cookbook The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook: More Than 400 Recipes That All Use Beer; a silent auction; area chefs hosting cooking demonstrations; and music by the Bluestones and the Punchy Atkinson Quartet.

Leeners, a Northfield business that offers home-brewing equipment, will provide a make-your-own beer demonstration.

The Ohio breweries that will be represented are Thirsty Dog, Barley's, Barrel House, Black Box, Brew Keeper, Brew Kettle, Brown Derby Roadhouse, Buckeye, Columbus, Cornerstone, Debonne, Elevator, Granite City, Great Lakes, Hoppin' Frog, Hoster's, Jackie O's, Main Street, Marietta, Maumee Bay, Mount Carmel, Ohio, Rock Bottom, Rocky River and Willoughby.

The other brewers are Abita, Alesmith, Allegash, Anchor Steam, Anderson Valley, Arcadia, Bar Harbor, Bell's, Bitburger, Bluegrass, Brooklyn, Chimay, Czechvar, Dogfish Head, Dundee, Erie, Flying Dog, Fort Collins, Founders, D.L. Geary, Goose Island, Heavy Seas, Hebrew, Hoegarden, Jacob Leinenkugel, Jolly Pumpkin, Lagunitas, Land Shark, Left Hand, Lindemans, Looking Glass, Mad River, Magic Hat, Mendocino, New Holland, Ommegang, Otter Creek, Redhook Brewing, Sam Adams, Samuel Smith, Sierra Nevada, Southampton, Southern Tier, Spanish Peaks, Stella Artois, Stone, Stoudt's, Straub, Tommyknocker, Troegs, Two Brothers, Victory and Young's.