The smell of malted barley overwhelms the senses upon walking into Bowling Green Brewing Company’s 575B Veterans Memorial Blvd. location, next to Chuck’s Liquors and across the street from Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Not a drop of the company’s German-style beer has been produced, but already local restaurants and franchises are saying they want a taste, according to treasurer Mike Haggard.

&#8220Some restaurant chains as well as local restaurants have expressed interest,” Haggard said.

Southcentral Kentucky’s first &#8220craft” microbrewery – specializing in homebrewed, foreign-style beer – is expected to have its first test batch completed by next Tuesday, and hopes to open by mid-March.

On Tuesday afternoon, the company began the process of combining its imported ingredients.

&#8220There’s a lot to it. The art of it is writing out what the brewer wants to achieve, and the science is writing out how to achieve it,” said master brewer and shareholder Stephen Foster.

Foster said the company’s Weiss-tasting beer is a type that is mostly imported to the United States, and many craft breweries in the nation do not make it.

Growth of the craft beer industry was 11.68 percent by volume for 2006, according to the national Brewers Association. The fastest-growing craft beer sector in 2006 was microbreweries, which had a production increase of 17 percent – showing consumer support for local breweries, according to the association.

Bowling Green Brewing Co. is already anticipating how to handle demand and hopes to distribute statewide, with plans to expand into Tennessee and Ohio.

&#8220The worse thing we can do is to get all this business and not meet the demand,” Haggard said. &#8220You have to manage the growth and meet the need.”

&#8220That’s the danger we face since we’re the only craft brewery between Louisville and Nashville,” Foster added.

Foster hopes to add a tourism edge to the brewery and will invite visitors – at least 21 years of age, of course – to a free &#8220flight” (16 oz. glass) of the brewery’s beer.

Vicki Fitch of the Bowling Green Area Visitors and Convention Bureau said she has yet to hear from the company, but looks forward to working with them if they’re interested in having tours at their facility.

According to state documents, the president of Bowling Green Brewing Co. is Ellen Selig, the vice president is Patrick Reynolds, and the secretary is Charlie Evans. The assistant brewer is Ryan Crosby. Shareholders for the company also include Robert Reynolds, Joe Wathen, Robert Evans, Tristan Evans and Chuck Evans.