Free State Brewery will host a broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” today, the restaurant’s owner said.

Chuck Magerl, owner of Free State Brewery, 636 Mass., said he didn’t know why the show chose to film at the restaurant, except that it would feature an interview with someone from the region.

“We’re the site; they’re the show,” Magerl said.

The left-leaning political commentator has been focusing on former anti-abortion Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline’s ethics hearings in Topeka and has done numerous stories on the issue.

A spokeswoman for the show said in an e-mail that the show will also be following up on its coverage of Wichita abortion provider George Tiller’s murder.

At the brewery, much of today will be devoted to setting up for the show, said Magerl, who added that he learned about the show’s interest in the location on Tuesday afternoon.

“We know that it’s going to be a pretty hectic time,” he said.

Though the restaurant will remain open, Magerl said the company wasn’t using the show as a way to promote its business, and wasn’t seeking to have a large crowd for the occasion. The one-hour show airs at 8 p.m. on MSNBC.

“I think they’ll be disappointed,” he said of people who might show up and hope to be included.

The show’s taping also coincides with the brewery’s birthday. A promotion that gave discounts for the birthday parties of people who share the same birthday will also be valid on Thursday, the restaurant announced.

With all the activity surrounding Maddow’s presence, Wednesday promises to be an interesting day, he said.

“We’re certainly trying to make a good presentation of Kansas on the airwaves, and that’s what we hope to do,” Magerl said.

Update: Chuck Magerl, owner of Free State Brewery, submitted the following statement to LJWorld.com on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011: