ATLANTA — Plans are in place for a third expansion at Scofflaw Brewing Company, the Georgia brewery growing at a rapid pace and known for its IPAs and barrel-aged stouts.
The brewery has a new 50-barrel, four-vessel brewhouse under construction at BrewFab, scheduled to be installed by Mar. 1 at the current brewing facility in the Bolton neighborhood of Atlanta on the city’s Westside.
Eight additional 100-barrel fermentation tanks plus new bright tanks will also be installed, starting in November. The third expansion in the first 18 months of operation will double the brewery’s current capacity to 30,000 barrels per year.
“We came up against capacity constraints when we opened with 6,500 barrels and at 12,000 barrels and again at 16,000 barrels,” said co-founder Matt Shirah. “Each time we’ve added fermentation tanks, we’ve ended up at maximum capacity. We needed to replace the current 20-barrel brewhouse and do a build-out to give us the capacity we need going forward.”
Demand for kegs continues to drive the growth for Scofflaw, which is distributed solely in Georgia. Shirah anticipates much of the new capacity will be needed to satisfy the keg demand from restaurants, gastropubs, beer bars, tap rooms and growler shops. “We don’t see any incremental increase in can production, because demand for draft is so strong. But we are working on a stronger packaged beer program.”
The expansion will make some of the brewery’s original fermentation tanks available for more R&D beers to be served in the iconic tap room, which features a full view of the brewery and an adjacent outdoor beer garden.
A new, higher capacity centrifuge has already been installed to improve efficiency and additional laboratory equipment for quality control. To support the growth of craft beer in the state, the current brewhouse will be sold to a Georgia craft brewer after the new installation.
About Scofflaw Brewing Co.
Co-founded by Matt Shirah and Brewmaster Travis Herman, who developed beers on a one-barrel system in the basement of the home of Shirah’s mother-in-law, Scofflaw opened in August of 2016. It has been named by BeerAdvocate, Paste Magazine, USA Today and Craft Beer & Brewing as one of the best new breweries in America. Follow Scofflaw on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter @ScofflawBrewing.