Founded by Matt Shirah and Travis Herman, Atlanta’s Scofflaw Brewing Co. soon will celebrate eight years in business.
During that time, Scofflaw has grown and evolved. In addition to the original brewery on MacArthur Boulevard in Atlanta’s Bolton neighborhood, it has Dr. Scofflaw’s at the Works on the upper Westside and a new brewery in Columbus.
Also, Shirah explained recently, Scofflaw now offers nonalcoholic THC-infused beverages, as well as spirits, beer and hard seltzer.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Scofflaw’s Southern sweet tea and Sunkissed lemonade are zero-calorie beverages with 5 milligrams of THC per 12-ounce can.
“In 2018, I started understanding spirits, primarily bourbon, and then I started to understand the hemp-derived THC market,” Shirah said. “Now, we have beer, spirits and THC, and a framework over each of those with multiple cash flow streams. The fastest growing is easily the THC products.”
Scofflaw produces its own THC products, and Shirah is in talks to brew hemp-infused beverages for other companies.
Considering the number of brewery closures in Georgia and across the country, it’s obvious that beer is struggling as a category — with some exceptions, including lagers.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
At 4.2 alcohol by volume, Nice lager is a new addition to Scofflaw’s portfolio, promoted as “beer from when beer was beer and for when beer should be just beer.”
Shirah said company sales were down 5% or 6% last year. “This year, we thought we’d probably be down in double digits in the beer market,” he said, “with other categories being up with these low-ABV drinks. But it didn’t happen. People were still buying the high-ABV products, and some wanted higher ABV products. It was completely counterintuitive to everything I had read and seen. The more rural areas [are], the more malt beverages they consume.”
Shirah’s pet project is bourbon. The company’s Basement small-batch premium bourbon, sold at $35-$45, is 86 proof and made with a malt bill of 65% corn, 24% rye and 11% barley.
“What we’ve decided to do is take higher-end premium bourbons that are four to five years old and try to get it into the market,” he said. “I’ve accumulated a portfolio of barrels from 10 different distilleries. We blend from four- to 10-year-old whiskeys on a regular basis.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Scofflaw has a distillers permit and a still at Dr. Scofflaw’s at the Works, and a distillers permit for contract packaging storage at the original MacArthur Boulevard location.
“When you come to Dr. Scofflaw’s at the Works, you can sample five or 10 whiskeys,” Shirah said, “and then if you want a specific blend, we’ll make it for you, even if it’s only one bottle.”
Shirah also is excited about Scofflaw’s Columbus location. Located in the Mid-City Yards development, it’s near Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning).
“It’s one of my favorite things we’ve ever done,” Shirah said. “It’s a little more rural, and you get a lot of military folks. Every one of our spots have a different demographic. Down there, you get to talk with folks who grew up on farms.”
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