Art, science of great beer

Travis Herman, the bearded, wild-haired brewmaster of Scofflaw Brewing, has become a force to be reckoned with on the Atlanta beer scene — most surprisingly at a brewery that’s only been open for about nine months.

Flying under the radar before that, Scofflaw suddenly launched in August 2016, in a former warehouse space on MacArthur Boulevard, where Herman and co-founder Matt Shirah built a sophisticated 20-barrel, four-vessel brewhouse, designed to grow bigger with “plug-and-play” components and tweaks.

Herman’s background as a microbiologist and University of California, Davis brewing science grad, plus stints at two of California’s most revered breweries, Lost Abbey and Russian River, lent important expertise to the startup.

“I see beer as an art and a science,” Herman said during an early tour. “That’s why one of the first things I made sure we had was a fully functioning lab.”

The first beers Scofflaw released were not only bold but notably thoughtful and well-made IPAs, including Basement, a hazy, tropical Northeast-style; Westside, a clean, piney West Coast-style; and Double Jeopardy, a big, imperial IPA that reflected Herman’s California brewing pedigree.

Gaining even more notoriety outside of Atlanta, Scofflaw was named among the 2016 Best New Breweries in the U.S. by Beer Advocate readers, which hasn’t helped Herman and his crew keep up with demand.

But this year should bring more offerings from Herman and his barrel-aging program. And maybe he’ll be producing some promised sour beers by Scofflaw’s first anniversary.

Scofflaw Brewing, 1738 MacArthur Blvd. N.W., Atlanta. scofflawbeer.com.

CONTRIBUTED BY HEIDI GELDHAUSER Travis Herman brought his expertise to Scofflaw Brewing.