Make room at the bar: Central Oregon soon will be home to another craft brewer.

The Brewtal Brewing Co., formed by Bend resident Tony Lawrence, will be the region’s eighth brewing company. Lawrence began moving into a small warehouse near downtown Bend on Tuesday and will begin building the brewery he hopes will fill its first keg this spring.

“I’ll be brewing ales, like most craft breweries do, IPAs, pale ales,” Lawrence said. “Some guys are over the top heavy-handed with hops, but that’s not my school. I’m a more traditional, balanced brewer.”

Brewtal follows on the heels of Three Creeks Brewing Co. in Sisters, which opened this summer. The region’s first craft brewery, Deschutes Brewery, opened in 1988.

Asked whether another brewery can find footing here, Lawrence and others say the more, the merrier.

“You guys are healthy there,” said Julia Henz, a spokeswoman for the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, when asked about Central Oregon’s many breweries.

“Our beer culture has blossomed within areas with more choice of breweries to enjoy, and Oregon, my goodness,” Henz said. “More beer breeds interest and helps elevate the entire group of brewers that are there collectively.”

In the craft beer industry, there is plenty of opportunity for growth, Henz said. For 2007, her association reported craft beer sales were $5.7 billion, and made up 3.8 percent by volume and 5.9 percent by dollars of the nation’s total beer sales. Henz said craft beer sales also grew 11 percent in the first half of 2008 compared with the same time in 2007, and that craft breweries continue to pop up nationwide, not just in the Northwest.

“Many things have kind of hit at once to support the popularity and demand, and one is the average American now lives within 10 miles of a brewery, so many people take ownership of local brands,” Henz said. “They’re prominent community supporters, and so local communities support them in turn, and people want flavor, diversity and choice, just like with wine, cheese, coffee. People don’t feel a light American lager satisfies every beer occasion now.”

Lawrence, a former brewer at Deschutes Brewery who later formed a brewery construction and consulting business, plans at first to brew between 10 and 15 barrels per month. A barrel — equivalent to 31 gallons, or two kegs — is the U.S. beer industry’s standard measurement unit for production.

By contrast, Deschutes Brewery estimates it will produce roughly 170,000 barrels this year. In its first year, it produced 785 barrels, said Jason Randles, the company’s marketing manager.

Lawrence said his small-batch brewery — to be built himself with brewing equipment he’s collected over the years as a builder and consultant — will initially focus on selling its beer to restaurants. Bottling lines are expensive, he said, so there are no immediate plans to sell bottled beer in retail locations.

There will be a tasting room at the brewery, located at 37 N.W. Lake Place, but Lawrence said his permit will not allow him to sell beer on-site. Lawrence said he may eventually build a brewpub if he feels there’s demand.

“We’re really excited, we think it will be good for Bend,” Lawrence said. “Some people don’t see how a community our size can support another brewery, but this is Oregon. I’m not scared about the economy, and our beer culture is so progressive there’s no reason we can’t embrace another 10 (breweries).”

Randles and representatives for 10 Barrel Brewing Co. (formerly known as Wildfire Brewing Co.), Silver Moon Brewing Co. and Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. all expressed excitement upon hearing another craft brewer was setting up shop in the region.

“The more variety we can have in the craft beer industry, the stronger the craft industry in Bend,” said Chris Cox, a partner at 10 Barrel.

Due to growth, Cox said his company is planning to open a brewpub next spring.

With Brewtal’s entry into the market, Deschutes County will be home to eight brewing companies, or roughly one for every 19,000 residents. Portland, home to roughly 30 brewing companies, which has earned it the nickname “Beervana,” has roughly one for every 18,000 residents.