Fresh off the December 2015 opening of a new retail area at their Birmingham bar and brewing facility, Griffin Claw Brewing Company has announced plans to open a second location in Rochester Hills.
Making use of an old East Side Mario's American Italian Eatery building at 2273 Crooks Rd., Griffin Claw's second location will serve as a think tank and test kitchen for the company. The 8,000-square-foot facility will be used to develop, brew, and package new beers, including small batch, seasonal, and specialty beers. The bottling line and additional brewing equipment will make the move from Birmingham to Rochester Hills.
According to a statement released by the brewing company, the new facility will double as a place for customers to come in and learn about breweries. "The craft beer community is always changing and embracing collaboration," says Griffin Claw spokesman Scott LePage.
The second location will allow the brewery to experiment and develop new beers without interrupting its core product line. Griffin Claw is known for its Norm's Raggedy Ass IPA and Grind Line Pale Ale beers, among others.
With the extra room resulting from moving some equipment to the new location, the Birmingham facility is set to see some major upgrades. Griffin Claw will triple the size of its current brewhouse, building a state-of-the-art 50-bbl brewing facility. The expansion will allow Griffin Claw to brew 50,000-bbl at the Birmingham location per year, this thanks to brand new 150-bbl fermenters. Bbl is brewery parlance for barrels. There are 31 gallons to a barrel.
The Griffin Claw Birmingham location will also install a High Gravity quality control system, another state-of-the-art technology to ensure their best and most consistent beer possible, say brewery representatives.
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