MARSHALL – Not only is Dustin Brau, the co-owner of Brau Brothers Brewing Company in Marshall, promising music, food, beer and fun this weekend, he says the weather will be exceptional as well.

Brau Brothers Brewing Company will play host to its first Hopfest today, Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re the first brewery in Lyon County,” Brau said. “So this is the first hopfest in Lyon County, in southwest Minnesota.”

Brau said the hopfest is a way for people to check out the brewery and “be more comfortable in coming here.”

He said in addition to area beer aficionados and casual beer drinkers, he is expecting people from the Twin Cities, Sioux Falls and Brookings, S.D., to come to Marshall this weekend for the hopfest.

“We have a nice following,” Brau said.

Each day music will be played on a stage set up outside the brewery in the parking lot, tours will be offered, the kitchen will have specials on food, and beer will be drunk, including a special release of its latest beer – Test Positive Ale.

Brau said Hicktown Mafia, a five-piece, southern Minnesota-based, country and rock band, will kick off the event tonight.

“They are a good local band,” he said. “Then Saturday we have a pretty good variety of music – bluegrass, country, rock. Sunday is Larry Olsen, and he plays classic polka.”

The Saturday lineup includes Cousin Dad, which plays acoustic, bluegrass and new traditional and The Fattenin’ Frogs, a six-member roots rock ‘n’ roll band from Minneapolis. Wildhawg covers musicians such as Tom Petty, Joan Jett and Dwight Yoakum.

An in-house band, the Hoffstevens and the Lowfills, will perform Saturday in between other musical acts, said Brau Brothers employee Ross Eaton, who is in the band.

“We’ll do classic ’90s covers and some original songs,” Eaton said.

In addition to music, the Hopfest will have a grill outside.

“We’ll have pretty basic food this year,” Brau said. “Brats, burgers. And we will have the full menu in the taproom.”

Brau said there will also be homemade soda in the taproom.

Brau said the brewery will keep things simple since this is the first year of the hopfest.

“We’ll learn from it for next year,” he said.