Lazy Magnolia: Mississippi Brewery Among Country’s Largest Microbreweries

Don’t let the name fool you. The name Lazy Magnolia may transport the mind to a muggy Mississippi summer day, however, Mark and Leslie Henderson and their staff have had little time to rock in the porch swing, sip on Deep South Pale Ale and watch their namesake white-petaled flowers sway in the breeze. Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company (LMBC) has been hard at work brewing and expanding their hometown business.

LMBC was the first post-Prohibition brewery to open in the state in 2005, and they produced 600 barrels of beer in that first year. Fast-forward to 2012, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company produced 14,000 barrels of beer, thanks to an expansion that included a new 60 barrel brewhouse and a pair grain silos that hold 60 tons of grain.

A microbrewery is defined by the Brewers Association as a brewery “that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year with 75 percent or more of its beer sold off-site.” The 14,000 barrels produced last year left “Busy” Magnolia just 1,001 barrels short of breaking through their microbrewery status to become a regional craft brewer. With continued expansion plans for 2013, the Kiln, Miss., brewery looks to become one on the nation’s smallest regional craft breweries.

For more information on LMBC’s expansion plans and news on their Back Porch Seasonal Series, check out the January Lazy News and subscribe to future updates from the, albeit lively, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company.

Andy Sparhawk, the Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Program Coordinator, is a Certified Cicerone^® and BJCP Beer Judge. He lives in Arvada, Colorado where he is a homebrewer and avid craft beer enthusiast. On occasion, Andy is inspired to write on his experiences with craft beer, and if they are not too ridiculous, you might see the results here on CraftBeer.com.

Andy Sparhawk

Andy Sparhawk, the Brewers Association's acting editor-in-chief for CraftBeer.com. Andy is a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP Beer Judge. He lives in Westminster, Colorado where he is an avid craft beer enthusiast. On occasion, Andy is inspired to write on his experiences with craft beer, and if they are not too ridiculous, you might see the results here on CraftBeer.com.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.