Griffin Claw Brewing Company makes beer, of course, but it's more than a pull a stool up to the bar and have a glass kind of place. It's 12,000 square feet of distilling and brewing tanks and equipment, a distribution facility for hundreds of barrels of brew, a tap room, a biergarten and a restaurant.
It is also the newest addition to Birmingham's Rail District, a trendy, walkable community carved out of the city. There are brownstones, residential lofts, small speciality businesses and high-end retailers thriving atop the old rail yards.
The public can see what Griffin Claw is all about as of July 18. There's the outdoor gravel-covered patio with a fire pit and room for 75 to sit at long, biergarten-style tables purchased in Germany and an indoor taproom that's separated from the patio by oversized garage doors and with room for 100.
Griffin Claw's focus is the award-winning suds, including 12 seasonal brews, made by Big Rock Chophouse brewmaster Dan Rogers and to be distributed with the Griffin Claw label. A "casual food" menu will complement the beer, and vodka and gin will eventually be turned out of the distillery. A martini bar is scheduled to open by late fall. Altogether more than 50 full-time employees will be at work at Griffin Claw.
The brewery is at 575 S. Eton Street, and co-owners Bonnie LePage and Mary Nicholson, wives to the owners of Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham, the Got Rocks Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge, and The Reserve, want Griffin Claw to be a neighborhood place, familiar, comfortable, quality. Altogether more than 50 full-time employees will be at work at Griffin Claw.
"Our brewery is very casual and it's all about the beer but we have great food too," says Bonnie LePage. "We wanted to create a comfortable and familiar environment that fits into the neighborhood so more of our neighbors are able to drop in on a frequent basis."
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Bonnie LePage, co-owner Griffin Claw Brewing Company and Jaclyn Robinson, spokesperson, Griffin Claw Brewing Company
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