Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company

History

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company was founded by Mark and Leslie Henderson. Leslie entered the American Brewers Guild Brewing School in July 2003 and followed this up with an apprenticeship at Crescent City Brewhouse in the spring of 2004. A building was secured in September 2004; the brewing equipment was delivered in October and fully set-up by December. In January 2005 the first batch of beer was brewed on the Lazy Magnolia system. The first kegs of beer hit the market on the Gulf Coast in March 2005. Hurricane Katrina briefly shut down operations and destroyed the couple’s home when it hit in September 2005, but the brewery was operating again by October.

By early 2007, the company was selling beer in over 300 bars and restaurants in Mississippi, and it announced plans to expand its sales region to include Alabama and northern Florida. In December 2007, the company began selling bottled beer.

Products

Lazy Magnolia's Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale beer is the first beer in the world commercially made with whole roasted pecans. The company only uses locally produced pecans. The pecans are used just like grain and provide a nutty characteristic. The company thought this union of pecans and beer would not be possible because of oil released by the pecans during brewing; however, they soon found out that the yeast used in the brewing process broke down the oil thereby actually enhancing the product.

Indian Summer Spiced Wheat Ale is an American-style wheat ale spiced with orange peel and coriander.

Jefferson Stout Sweet Potato Cream Stout is brewed with sweet potatoes and lactose (milk sugar).

Southern Gold is Lazy Magnolia’s golden honey ale. It is brewed with locally produced honey from Ellisville, Mississippi. It is the company's second recipe designed to recognize a specific location and demographic, Hattiesburg, Mississippi - home of the University of Southern Mississippi whose mascot is the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, hence the Southern Gold name of the beer and the gold and black colors of the bottle labels and carrier.

Gulf Porter was the first in Lazy Magnolia's Brewer's Choice Series. It was predominantly in growlers for the 2009 winter season.

Packaging

For public purchase, Lazy Magnolia has all of their five beers available in 12 ounce glass bottle 6-packs, Southern Pecan, Deep South, Indian Summer, Southern Gold, and Jefferson Stout. Also available is the Lazy Dozen 12-pack that includes current seasonal releases. For commercial purchases, such as for use in restaurants, Lazy Magnolia beers are available in standard 5.16-US-gallon (19.5 L) and 15.5-US-gallon (59 L) stainless steel kegs. The beer is kegged or bottled and packaged at Lazy Magnolia's brewing facility.

Availability

Lazy Magnolia beers are distributed throughout Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas. Many grocery and convenience stores in these areas carry Lazy Magnolia beers as do many restaurants. Several bars also offer the beers in bottles and on tap. Lazy Magnolia beers are distributed by over thirty independent wholesalers in the nine-state availability area.

Other business

Lazy Magnolia offers no-reservation tours of the brewery every Thursday and Friday evenings as well as Saturday mornings and afternoons. It also sells merchandise such as t-shirts and tap handles both online and at the brewery. Tourists can attend beer tasting events at the brewery, as well. Lazy Magnolia's beers are available for purchase at the company-owned The Lazy Magnolia Brew House and Restaurant, located at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Gulfport, Mississippi.