Griffin Claw Readies For Unveiling of Big, New Rochester Hills Brewing Facility

Griffin Claw Brewing Company is preparing to unveil its Rochester Hills production facility in 2018 with plans to begin canning a fleet of small-batch beers on site.

The four-year-old Birmingham-based brewery took over the former Eastside Mario's American Italian Eatery building in 2016. At double the size of its Birmingham brewery, the new 33,000-square-foot building will house a 20-barrel brew house, a larger cooler, more distilling equipment, and a second canning and kegging line. With the combined capacity of both the Birmingham and Rochester Hills locations, Griffin Claw is expecting to produce roughly 20,000 barrels in 2018.

A representative for the brewery tells Eater that all “major construction” at the Rochester Hill facility is complete. Griffin Claw expects to start using the space for shipping and distribution in February and brewing at the facility later in the spring.

The company plans to release 29 beers in cans this year with core brews such as Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA, Mr. Blue Sky, Gateway, and El Rojo being packaged in Birmingham and small batch products being produced and packaged at the Rochester Hills site.

The brewery hopes to eventually add a tasting room in Rochester Hills, but are more immediately focused on expanding their production and warehouse, the rep confirms.

This isn’t the only project for the Griffin Claw team. Owners Norm and Bonnie LePage are planning to open a brasserie and beer garden called Lumen at Beacon Park in downtown Detroit later this year.

Correction: The Rochester Hills facility will house a 20 barrel brew house not a 50 barrel brew house.

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