Whatever its original intent, Metro Transit’s Green Line is connecting beer hounds to new taprooms, restaurants and each other.

Eager to take advantage of the proximity to the new light rail, a microbrewery is moving from Wisconsin to the St. Paul-Minneapolis border. And an events company hopes to pull a profit selling a “Rails and Ales” tour of the Green Line.

On Thursday, Lake Monster Brewing announced that it will open a microbrewery and taproom next year in a newly remodeled Vandalia Tower at 550 Vandalia St., near the Green Line’s Raymond Avenue station.

How much did the light rail factor into their decision to move production from Wisconsin? “It was pretty key,” said Lake Monster President Matt Zanetti. “We knew the Green Line was coming. That was definitely a huge play. I looked at close to 50 sites.”

Spanning seven buildings, the former King Koil Mattress Factory sits on 5.5 acres between Interstate 94 and University Avenue, and Lake Monster is its first major new tenant.

“Being the first tenant in that building really allows us to provide a lot of presence, and buzz and excitement, and be a collaborator,” Zanetti said. “There’s about 180,000 rental square feet. We’re only taking 10,000.”

“The building itself is amazing — it’s a 100-year-old railroad exchange warehouse,” he continued. “There’s huge windows. And we’re going to have 1,000 square feet of patio.”

The First and First development team plans to remodel all seven of the brick factory buildings and add a new 30,000-square-foot outdoor public plaza, as well as pedestrian connections to the Green Line, bike paths and bike parking.

Since October 2013, Lake Monster has been making its Empty Rowboat IPA and Calhoun Claw Pilsner at Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls, Wis. and shipping the product to cold storage on St. Paul’s Territorial Road.

Zanetti, who lives in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, said the new space will allow the company to expand from 1,200 barrels a year to 3,500. Down the line, “we will be able to expand from that 3,500 very easily,” Zanetti said. “We have a lot of room for growth.”

In a statement, brewmaster Matt Lange said the permanent new space will allow the company to experiment with new styles and recipes. The taproom would open next summer.

Other brewers attracted to the neighborhood include Surly Brewing, Bang Brewing and Urban Growler.

GREEN LINE BREW TOUR

On Sept. 13, Get Knit Events (GetKnitevents.com) will host “Rails and Ales,” a light-rail tour of taprooms and breweries in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ticket prices, which range from $29 in advance to $45 day of, include two free pints, a t-shirt, a light rail pass, a handful of brewery tours, and discounts on food and alcohol.

Stops include the Fulton Brewery near Target Field, Town Hall Brewery on Washington Avenue, Bang Brewing on Capp Road, Urban Growler on Endicott Street, Burning Brothers Brewing off University and Wheeler Street, and the new Tin Whiskers taproom in Lowertown, among others.

Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.