Time flies when you’re drinking good beer in San Jose

Who’s up for a beer? Two San Jose locals are marking anniversaries this weekend, with Camino Brewing Company toasting its fifth anniversary on Saturday and Fox Tale Fermentation Project planning a host of events all weekend for its first birthday.

Even if you prefer a chardonnay to an IPA, the dual celebrations should be seen as a positive sign for the city’s brewing scene, which has undergone its share of shakeups lately.

It doesn’t seem like it’s been five years since Allen Korenstein and Nathan Poulous opened Camino in an old body shop next to Faber’s bike shop at 718 S. First St., naming the brewing company after the Camino de Santiago, a grueling 1,900-mile cycling trip in Europe undertaken by the buddies. They dreamed up the brewery on the route and made it a reality, with the motto “Beer Brings Strangers Together.” The party gets started at noon, with beer, music and tacos.

It’s been a wild year for Wendy Neff and Felipe Bravo, owners of Fox Tale Fermentation Project at 30 E. Santa Clara St., as they’ve watched its popularity rise like, well, yeast. Why have they taken off like that? On top of a regularly changing slate of beers, they also produce a line of fermented foods and flavorful non-alcoholic drinks making it a great spot to bring the family or friends who don’t imbibe. The festivities from Friday through Sunday will include new beer releases, a solo art show highlighting Reyes Magos and a comedy showcase Sunday night.

By the way, there’s more beer fun next weekend, too, as Clandestine Brewing at 918 S. First St. is hosting its annual Bockfest on April 21-23, celebrating the release of its Maihem Maibock and including the “Blessing of the Bocks” on Saturday afternoon.

TALKING ART: MACLA, the Latino arts center in downtown San Jose’s SoFA district, opened its Latino Art Now auction exhibition last weekend, starting the countdown to the big event on May 20. And part of that lead up includes a panel discussion at noon Saturday with artists Ruben Escalante, Cynthia Gonzalez and Elizabeth Jimenez Montelongo, moderated by Imara Osnoro. The trio will talk about the importance of art and community and delve into their own work, too. The discussion at 510 S. First St. starts at noon.