Opening today just north of downtown.
[T]he 15-year-old craft brewery will debut to the public a new plant in a converted warehouse with fabulous views of downtown and easy freeway access. It’s the result of a $7.5 million renovation and the determination of Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner to move his company into something other than a generic concrete box somewhere off Beltway 8.
“Having a building downtown is part of our passion for being part of the community,” said Wagner, a Rice University grad who started homebrewing in his dorm room more than 20 years ago.
Wagner started scouting locations for a new brewery in late 2006, and he liked what he saw in the Houston ISD food-distribution warehouse for sale at 2000 Lyons Ave. He closed on the deal in June 2008 and began adding on a brewhouse — with room for three, 240-barrel fermenting tanks to supplement the collection of 60- and 120-barrel tanks that will make the move — and adapting the interior of the four-story, 95-year-old warehouse to the needs of a modern brewery.
“You get all this extra character,” said Wagner, “you find a use for it.”
They had a ribbon-cutting ceremony, follow by much beer drinking of course, on Wednesday. You can see pictures of it and of the construction here, and Houstonist has more. Somehow, it’s fitting that the official grand opening is on Halloween. Slainte, y’all.
UPDATE: Oops. No tour today.
Saturday’s scheduled inaugural public tour of the new Saint Arnold Brewing Co. plant has been canceled due to confusion over city permits. No tour will be at the original location, either, as things had already been moved to the new site.
Brewery owner Brock Wagner said he was informed Friday that the new plant at 2000 Lyons Ave. — the scene of a grand opening Wednesday night — did not have the temporary certificate of occupancy that he thought had already been secured.
They hope to have things ready to go for next Saturday.