282: Shawn Bainbridge and Joran Van Ginderachter of Halfway Crooks Balance Expression and Control in Lager and Belgian Pale Ale
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Halfway Crooks cofounders Joran Van Ginderachter and Shawn Bainbridge may love the wide world of craft beer, but with their Atlanta, Georgia brewery the goal was to create a space and beers that would let drinkers find a beer they like, and drink the same beer all night. If you arrive with the goal of maximizing check-ins to the widest number of beers, you\\u2019ll quickly find you\\u2019re in the wrong place.
\\n\\nThe same design principles inform the space and the beer itself\\u2014equal parts recontextualized nostalgia, funky creativity, wry humor, and dry deadpan delivery. The bathrooms feature illustrations of chickens from the late 1800\\u2019s, floral patterned wallpaper, and a separate soundtrack from the main taproom (Bladerunner and Twin Peaks soundtracks). A video screen at the door plays low-fi digital animations. They embrace our digital present with a bit of warm vacuum tube analog glow. And the same can be said of the beers\\u2014they\\u2019re fresh and current, but with tweaks of nostalgia and fuzz.
\\n\\nThe brewery may be best known for their lagers, which center around separate hop varieties.
\\n\\n\\u201cYou go to a taproom sometimes and see seven different IPAs,\\u201d said Bainbridge. \\u201cYou come to this taproom and you see seven German pilsners.\\u201d
\\n\\nThey source hops from some of the most sought-after farms in Germany, and build beers around them, yet there\\u2019s also an American mentality\\u2014boosting aroma through later additions and whirlpooling, using modern enzymes to ensure fermentation proceeds on schedule. They use a brewhouse not optimized for lagers, but have figured out how to get the most from it. There\\u2019s no decoction and just single infusion mashes, but the beers are tight and structured.
\\n\\nIn this episode, Bainbridge and Van Ginderachter talk extensively about their approach to lager brewing, as well as the creative and technical process behind their Belgian pale ale Sanguine\\u2014a Craft Beer & Brewing beer of the year in 2022, which they say is the one beer in their lineup they\\u2019re least happy with.
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