Founder and head brewer Jacob Bray (he’ll ask you to call him “Jake” before passing you your drink) studied Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University and found himself drawn to all things academic. Sort of.

What he really enjoyed was the complex problem solving, studying, and learning. After joining the Entrepreneur Club as an undergrad and taking a deep dive into urban farming and aquaponics, he also realizes he enjoyed business. Skip ahead several years, throw in some engineering experience in the real world and some time in a Chemical Engineering Ph.D. program along the way, and you have Griffin Apotheca.

 Jake realized he could apply his interest in problem-solving, studying, learning, and even teaching to fermentation, sourcing, mashing, crafting, bottling, sampling, and bringing European know-how to The States. Today, he gets his fill of hands-on engineering and experimentation while also endlessly learning about the craft of brewing and sharing what he learns every step of the way. 

About Griffin Apotheca

Griffin Apotheca is endlessly inspired by the history of beer, but we’re committed to laying our own roots. We appreciate old-world styles. We like learning about and experimenting with old techniques. And we believe the process is as important as the product itself. That is, afterall, what craft is all about. The process. For us, that means combining locally sourced ingredients with grain, hops, and yeast from historic brewing regions across Europe to create something worth sipping.

As for the name, we settled on Griffin Apotheca for a few reasons. The griffin — a half-eagle, half lion creature — was a big part of old-world mythology. It was also thought to protect gold, treasure, or natural beauty (you see where this is going). Apotheca is a latin word which means, more or less, storeroom. Over time, the word evolved to form apothecary which once referred to pharmacies and now seems to apply more to modern day boutiques than anything else. 

But, as we said, we like old-world, so we stuck with the original meaning. The result: Griffin Apotheca. A mythical creature protecting a storeroom full of precious brews. But mostly it’s fun to say.