Terry Hawbaker Leaving Bullfrog Brewery for The Grainery in Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Grain Exchange)

I was excited to hear about our hometown hero-brewer Terry Hawbaker leaving Bullfrog Brewery for an exciting new opportunity….and I’m even more excited to be able to bring you Terry’s destination.  I just spoke to Terry and he tells me he’s heading for a new center city Philadelphia brewery called The Grainery (aka The Philadelphia Grain Exchange).  Terry tells me this new upstart is run by the folks  at the Fork & Barrel and will be sort of the “Fork & Barrel meets Bookstore/Speakeasy with an on-site artisanal brewery”…so stay tuned for more details.  Congratulations my friend….you deserve this great opportunity and I can’t wait to see what you do next.  Cheers!

And an update today from PhillyBeerScene:  

I just got an update from Matt from Fork & Barrel about the new bar he’s opening in center city. From the sounds of it, it sounds pretty awesome and even cooler than F & B.  Its going to be located 1113 Walnut St and he’s calling the place The Grainery.  The highlight of the new concept has to be the arrival of former Bullfrog brewmaster Terry Hawbaker.  The Grainery won’t be a brewpub but Terry will have 4 of the bars 24+ taps for his beers that he’ll be brewing on an extremely small, artisan scale.  It’s looking like it will be mostly barrel aged, wild ales, sours, etc…  So pretty much just epic beers that people are always seeking out.  The rest of the taps will consist of small batch beers from throughout different parts of Europe with a focus on areas outside of Belgium such as Scandinavia, Italy, and the Netherlands.

On top of having a great beer program, they are also bringing in Damon Dyer, an extremely talented mixologist from NYC, to put together a Victorian style cocktail menu.  Think classic hand-crafted cocktails similar to his other bar the Bookstore Speakeasy in Bethlehem.  It seems this bar will be the best of both worlds for drinkers.  There aren’t many bars where you can get a house brewed beer, an exceptional beer list, and a top-notch cocktail program.  The Grainery really sounds like it’ll be making a big impact in the local bar scene.

As for food, the details were brief but look for rustic fare with lots of house cured meets and game dishes.  He is also planning on carrying of the nose-to-tail feast concept from Fork & Barrel.  Look for the new bar to open around April.

UPDATE:  2/22/2011  I’m hearing the restaurant will actually be named the Philadelphia Grain Exchange !

UPDATE YET AGAIN:  3/8/2011 The official name for the new venture will be The Farmer’s Cabinet