Saint Arnold Brewing, in Houston, Texas, announced today that have bought a historic downtown building in which they intend to build a new brewery by June of 2009, to coincide with their 15th anniversary. The 1914 building, which is located at 2000 Lyons Avenue, will cost $6 million to renovate and refurbish. Once transformed, they expect the new location to “attract tens of thousands of visitors each year from around the world.”

From the press release:

“Our current location has served us well and has helped us accomplish a lot by making great beer, but we have run out of space,” said Brock Wagner, founder and brewer of Saint Arnold Brewing Company. “Since our first day, our mission has been to brew the best beer in Texas and create an institution that makes Houston proud. That will be the focus of the redevelopment of our new brewery.”

Saint Arnold’s new brewery will feature a brewhouse purchased from a closed brewery in a monastery in Germany. The equipment is being refurbished, updated and automated, including the addition of a state-of-the-art energy-saving boiling and mashing system. The expansion into the new facility ultimately will allow for an over 400 percent increase in brewing capacity. The current brewery in Northwest Houston has an annual capacity of 22,500 barrels; the new brewery will have an initial annual capacity of 40,000 barrels expandable up to 120,000 barrels per year.

That’s terrific news for them. I can’t wait to see what the new brewery will look like.