Local pubs and property owners will be rolling out the welcome mat starting Thursday in an effort to lure a large-scale brewery to the Port City.

Officials with Detroit-based Atwater Brewery will be in the area to visit potential sites for a new facility. While in town, they also will be taking over the taps and offering tastings of its brews starting at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Cape Fear Wine and Beer, 139 N. Front St., to help convince potential operators and business officials that its brand is a good match for their establishments and Wilmington, according to a news release.

Atwater representatives are scheduled to also visit Brixx Pizza in Mayfaire Town Center on Friday and Lighthouse Beer and Wine in Wrightsville Beach and Fermental on Saturday for similar events, the news release stated.

The event is being sponsored by Wilmington-based Carolina Commercial Investment Properties,  the brokerage firm retained by Atwater to help identify sites and buildings throughout the region for a potential brewery; and Greensboro-based Freedom Beverage, which distributes Atwater Brewery’s products throughout greater Wilmington and North Carolina.

P.J. Doherty, founder and broker of Carolina Commercial Investment Properties, said Thursday that Atwater officials plan to meet with area economic and Wilmington officials Friday about possible incentives for the facility.

In April, Wilmington officials confirmed that the Michigan brewer was looking to establish an East Coast brewery and bottling operation that could potentially be housed in either Wilmington or the metro area.

Company officials are also eyeing possible sites in other North Carolina communities, South Carolina and Georgia, Doherty said.

“This is not a done deal,” he said. “They are only going to be in the area this weekend to test the waters and see if Wilmington can support such an operation. They’re still going to have to go back and decide if this is a good match for their business after exploring the benefits and drawbacks of opening a brewery in North Carolina.”

Doherty said the firm is looking for 75,000-100,000 square feet of industrial space and could hire between 30 and 70 employees. He said his brokerage firm would give Atwater a tour of various sites across the area, including existing industrial facilities and pad sites for new construction.

“They also want space to do a really nice tap room that will allow them to host tastings and promote their products,” Doherty said. “They have a very distinct business plan.”

While some of the sites include locations in Columbus, Brunswick and New Hanover counties, Doherty would not comment about what specific locations or sites the brewing officials would view during their stay in Wilmington.

In a previous interview with the Greater Wilmington Business Journal in April, Jason Schrider, director of operations for Atwater, said the brewery is outgrowing its Detroit facility. He said as the brewery continues to expand its product line eastward, opening a new bottling and brewing facility on the East Coast made sense.

Atwater produces more than a dozen different beers under a variety of labels including its most popular, Dirty Blonde, Decadent Dark Chocolate Ale and Voodoo Vator, according to its website. The brewery also produces lager, stout, ale, pilsner, porter and specialty beer flavors that are sold throughout Michigan and in 12 other states including North Carolina.