The metal building seems to blend right in with the industrial cityscape, a humble jumble of small machine shops, a recycling business and concrete pillars for a road project. Hard to the west stands an imposing red-brick former warehouse where Saint Arnold beer has been brewed, kegged, canned and bottled for most of the last decade.

But as you cross the railroad tracks to approach — and on this stretch of Lyons Avenue, there's a crossing in each direction — stark differences come into focus. This building is brand-new shiny, the fencing is modern and arty. The grounds are immaculate, with trees rising to a uniform height. And ... are those bocce ball courts?

Houston's latest tourist destination is as full of surprises as the city itself.

Brock Wagner, who founded Saint Arnold Brewing Co. 24 years ago, realized one dream in 2009 when he moved his overstuffed and un-air-conditioned brewery from a light-industrial park near Northwest Mall to a century-old warehouse. He converted that space into an iconic production facility with plenty of room to grow and an upstairs beer hall that has hosted countless tours, parties and private events.

Now he's realized another dream: An outdoor beer garden with myriad ways to entertain oneself and a restaurant that evokes the great European churches of 1,000 years ago with arches, heavy chandeliers and sumptuous murals by six local artists adorning separate dining alcoves he refers to as "chapels."

After a weeklong soft opening to iron out the kinks for 153 new servers, kitchen staff and managers, the beer garden is formally open to the public seven days a week, from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. or later.

LOOKING BACK: For Texas craft brewers, there was much to like in 2017, with one big exception

The tap wall includes the full Saint Arnold lineup plus a rotation of specialty beers; the menu ranges from fried green tomatoes to a fiery Thai-curry red snapper.

Kids and adults alike are welcome to play games, touch the centerpiece water fountain made from an inverted brew kettle, and settle in to one of the picnic tables or Adirondack chairs to enjoy pleasant conversation and killer views of downtown.

The compound, built on the site of what used to be a tow lot, reflects not just Wagner's personal success but also the rise over the past two decades of a vibrant beer and food culture in Houston.

"On days when I'd had a couple of pints, I might think about how cool it would be to have something like this," Wagner said last week, recalling the early days when it took a lot of convincing to get people to try a new thing called craft beer.

When Saint Arnold delivered its first keg in the summer of 1994, Houston, like much of America, was a Bud/Miller/Coors town. Drinking habits would prove hard to break.

Early brewpub restaurants enjoyed brief success before disappearing altogether. Growth for Saint Arnold was slow and steady, but mostly slow, until things began to take off this century.

By 2009, when Saint Arnold was gearing up for that expansion to 2000 Lyons Ave., it was one of only two craft breweries in the area. Today, dozens stretch from Galveston Island to Bryan-College Station. Wagner says he produced 68,000 barrels last year, a 15 percent increase from 2016, and he expects to top 70,000 this year.

ON YOUR LIST: A baker's dozen Houston breweries to try

The growth is mirrored statewide. Charles Vallhonrat, executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, has seen membership grow to 270 from about 40 at the beginning of 2013. That's the year state lawmakers voted to let Texas breweries sell beer on site, fueling a new boom in public taprooms.

"Beer tourism, the power of taprooms, is very important to all our members," Vallhonrat said. " ... We know people are hiring taproom staff. We know they are extending taproom hours."

The guild doesn't have an estimate on how many tourists the taprooms attract. But Vallhonrat noted that personal experience as well as efforts such as Visit Houston's Brew Pass program, which offers discounts to 11 local breweries, suggest they do have an impact.

He complimented the Saint Arnold beer garden and predicted it will serve as an "anchor" that will encourage people to visit other local breweries. In Austin, he said, many smaller operations benefit from the attraction of such major draws there as Live Oak and Austin Beerworks.

In Houston, too, breweries do much more than occasionally allow fans in for samples. All of the newcomers have bar areas and regular serving hours. Some have elaborate facilities.

Karbach Brewing, now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, runs a successful restaurant on site, and Buffalo Bayou Brewing is expected to break ground in August on a showcase brewery and restaurant expected to cost up to $15 million.

The new Buffbrew, in the Sawyer Yards art complex, could open in the second quarter of 2019.

IN THE WORKS: New Buffalo Bayou brewery, restaurant coming near downtown

On the east side of downtown, Ryan Soroka and his co-founders at 8th Wonder Brewery have created a lively indoor/outdoor scene with food trucks, concerts and tailgating before Dynamo, Astros and Rockets games, all of which are within walking distance.

Since signing a lease on the 8th Wonder property at 2202 Dallas seven years ago, Soroka has watched the surrounding neighborhood spring to life with new bars and restaurants like Truck Yard and Rodeo Goat. The competition seems to help all parties by giving people more reasons to spend time in the area, he said.

The Saint Arnold beer garden evolved over years of careful thought. Wagner, a Rice grad who went into investment banking before realizing his true life's calling, remains focused on every detail.

"I got Legos and started playing with them to figure out what we wanted to do," he said. Each block represented a 10-foot section, and two pads fit the project dimensions perfectly.

He wanted a metal exterior to fit in with the neighborhood. He wanted an extended covering for the beer garden to stand up to the summer sun. He wanted an interior space that respected the brewery's namesake, the patron saint of beer.

Working with Natalye Appel + Associates Architects, he came up with a "dissolving metal building" that gives way to a covered outdoor section with a metal mesh fence and finally to open sky and a bare frame.

"I wanted to create a place where, when you come, you know, 'This is Saint Arnold,'" he said.

On a surprisingly pleasant July evening, Wagner pointed out the beer garden's finer details: a tree whose flowers grow in the shape of hops; a concrete design in the same shape, a tribute to beer's beloved bittering ingredient; bocce ball pits filled with crushed oyster shell from, surprisingly, Minnesota.

The skyline spoke for itself.

The biggest surprise comes when you pull open the doors to enter the restaurant.

Dark timbered arches and the metal chandeliers give the space the feel of an ancient cathedral. Rows of tables leading to the wood-topped bar bring to mind a Munich beer hall.

But what people are likely to tell their friends about first are the dining nooks along the right and left walls. Wagner commissioned six local artists and presented these "chapels" as an open canvas.

The works include lush, Renaissance-era landscapes, a Day of the Dead-inspired collection, a brightly colored urban graffiti scene and a somber rendering of Saint Arnold himself.

The atmosphere can be relaxed or raucous — just like Houston.

Ronnie Crocker is the Chronicle's deputy business editor. He occasionally writes about beer and is the author of "Houston Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Bayou City." Connect with him on Twitter at @rcrocker.