Griffin Claw Brewing Company

Microbrewery in Birmingham, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 2013

Contact
575 S Eton St, Birmingham, MI, 48009, United States
Subsidiaries
Griffin Claw Brewing Company owns 1 brewery:
Description
Griffin Claw Brewing Company’s official opening day may be July 18th, 2013 but it all started when Dan Rogers began working his magic at Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham, MI. Dan had been brewing since 1991 and eventually found his way to Big Rock in 2004, this is the unofficial start of Griffin Claw. Dan continued hammering out amazing beers in the small confines of Big Rock and the Michigan beer community started taking notice. It wasn’t until 2010 that his name and beers received a lot more attention. 2010 was a big year, winning two World Beer Cup medals for Norm’s Raggedy Ass and Bonnie’s Raggedy Ass.

Griffin Claw’s culture is that of growth. Our path to get where we are has been a quick one but it’s because of our people. We are centered around young, hungry, active beer enthusiasts – with a foundation of grizzled vets. Our love for this Great Beer State is increased as the days go on and we love the industry that we’re in.

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5.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Bottle from Mackinaw City party store. Clear orange colour, large white head. Brew has cinnamon, pumpkin, light malted. Watery and sweet.
Tried from Bottle on 20 Jun 2010 at 09:53

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
bottle - Pours hazy orange with a small white head. It smells like pumpkin pie with lots of pumpkin and spice, especially cinnamon. The flavor is sweet, spicy pumpkin and some bitterness in the finish that unfortunately tastes a little off. I think a more robust malt profile would have helped this one, but it’s alright.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Oct 2009 at 20:10

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 7
Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark caramel-amber color with a medium sized white head. The aroma was strong nutmeg and cinnamon. The flavor was bitter nutmeg and cinnamon and had a light dry malty undertone and a hint of hut. The finish was long and spicy. Nicely done.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Oct 2008 at 21:22

6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5
This ale poured a medium orange colour with a fast disipating head. To the nose there was scents of Allspice and nutmeg, bubble gum and...cake??? First taste was really spicey with flavours of Nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. That light bubblegum flavour??? the finish is, go figure, spicey and the palate has a small bitterness about it. Not bad, very spiced!!
Tried on 28 Nov 2007 at 20:27

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle. Body is an autumnal mix of orange and brown and supports a medium sized tan head. Aromas are pie spices and pumpkin (maybe a bit of dishsoap, too). Flavor starts off a little malty and then heads into a very spicy finish. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg mingle with the pumpkin flavoring and create a fairly nice aftertaste. Every now and then it seems a little watery and every now and then there is a little bit of a soapy aftertaste... apart from these two minor snags it is an interesting and well done pumpkin beer.
Tried from Bottle on 25 Sep 2007 at 20:11

4.1/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 4 Texture 4 Overall 3.5
What an aroma of cloves, anisette and licorice, quite anesthetizing. Color is orange/ruby and clear. Has a small off white head. Wow, lots of pumpkin spice in this brew, more than any other I’ve tried. Certainly tries to imitate the fall pumpkin feeling. May be overdone on the spices. Yes, if you are looking for something that is like pumpkin pie without the sugar, you got it. But isn’t sweetness the major portion of a pumpkin pie? Barely any carbonation on the palate and what does exist is slight champagne creaminess. Finish is pumpkin spice all the way, don’t know if I can take more than two of these at a time. No bitterness detected but the spice is quite in your face.
Tried from Can on 15 Sep 2007 at 14:02

5.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 6.5
12 oz bottle (low fill - probably 8 oz in there) from Dansting. Pour is brown, red, golden with a very thin white head. Aroma is BIG pumpkin spice, cinnamon and ginger. Smelled very much like a slice of pumpkin pie - more so than any Pumpkin beer I have had in the past. Taste is also a bunch of pumpkin pie, really interesting taste. I even thought I picked up some whipped cream in there. Finish is clean, though a touch metallic. Somewhat watery palate, though palate picked up as it warmed. Overall an interesting beer, and one of the better Pumpkin beers I have had.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Sep 2007 at 08:25

6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
2006 bottle drunk on 11/3/06
Foamy, somewhat fizzy graham cracker colored head sticks to the side of the glass, but seems destined to dissipate to partial cover, rather quickly. Deeply burnished brass color with some strong auburn tints and a high clarity with plenty of carbonation.
Not much in the nose, very dry and spicy, with cinnamon and/or nutmeg blanketing much of the other character. Some fleshy, medium-dry pumpkin flavor breaks through and a touch of hard crystal malt (dry caramel and toffee). Reserved aroma, with no alcohol and too much spice.
Though as spicy as the nose suggests, the beer is actually more malty than expected. Medium-light bodied, with more dry, bready and crackery crystal malt (dry caramel again), but without the buttery/creamy sugariness that most in the style have. I actually found some fruitiness, a touch of toastiness and light cherry-cola notes, to go with a bit of sweet vanilla. Of course, the spices do come pretty hard on the finish, though a wetness to the texture helps soak them up. Medium amounts of loose carbonation do not help contribute to the malt presentation, however. No alcohol or flaws that I can find.
Tried from Bottle on 20 Dec 2006 at 09:42

6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
This is the "Screamin' Pumpkin Spiced Ale," which I assume is the same beer. This clear orange beer poured with an off-white creamy head and spicy nutmeg aroma. Rather full-flavored, with nutmeg and cinnamon joining forces. A wee bit of bready malts peek through the spicy morass. Decent example of a style that is otherwise wearing thin on me at this point.
Tried on 25 Dec 2003 at 09:29

6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
Draft, on premises Well, ya either like pumpkin or ya don't. And I do like this one. This has everything a pumpkin pie has except the Crisco. Has a strong pie taste, but not unpleasantly so. This 2003 edition (listed as 5.0% ABV) nicely balances the pumpkin and spice aspects, though at the cost of the beer flavor. Certainly would taste best fresh at the brewery, so make a stop!
Tried from Draft on 09 Oct 2003 at 09:37