Southern Breeze 2008 Spring Issue

food CHEERS Libations By DEREK BAGLEY Photography by STEPHEN KIRKPATRICK Things this sweet are sometimes never in the original plan. When Mississippi natives Mark and Leslie Henderson began brewing beer as a hobby in 1999, they were both enjoying success as engineers. That Christmas, Leslie gave Mark a home brew kit, and they soon began wowing friends and relatives with their concoctions. The Hendersons soon decided to turn their hobby into a profession. Leslie, a chemical engineer, experimented with different recipes. “Brewing is the highest form of engineering,” Leslie says. The result is Lazy Magnolia Brewery in Kiln, Mississippi. The brewery debuted its first batch in January 2005 and, with the exception of a little setback during Hurricane Katrina, it’s been going strong ever since. But the Hendersons didn’t see Lazy Magnolia as just another brewery, and they weren’t out to make any old beer. The flagship brew, Southern Pecan Ale, is the only beer made with whole roasted pecans. It’s a dark ale with a hint of nutty flavor. “It was Mark’s idea,” Leslie says. “We were out to be something Mississippi and the South can take pride in.” In order to do that, Leslie says, they wanted to use materials found close to home and to separate themselves from microbrews found out West. The pecan, a truly Southern ingredient, was something Mark “latched onto.” “I worked out a recipe around that, and it turned out to be great,” Leslie says. That recipe is a trade secret, and Leslie will only admit that it came from “a lot of trial and error.” Beers made with nuts had been thought impossible because of the difficulty presented by the high oil content. Lazy Magnolia’s other beers are becoming hits too, like Jefferson Stout, a brew made with sweet potatoes and milk sugar, and Blue Heron, a European wheat ale that boasts fruit and herb flavors. You can also look for a number of seasonal beers to complement the Gulf Coast cuisine and climate. Lazy Magnolia beer can be found throughout Mississippi, on the Alabama Coast and in North Alabama, and in parts of Northwest Florida. The brewery recently established a bottling operation to keep up with the high demand. “Our customers are loyal to us, and we’re being loyal right back to them,” Leslie says. 66 s o u t h e r n b re e z e . c o m Lazy http://southernbreeze.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2008 Spring Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Seen & Heard Coastal Calendar Storefronts - Keepin' it Reel Sweet Dreams - Grand Hotel Art of Living - Marking Time Fixtures - A Fitting End Our Backyard - Reasonable Drought Make Yourself at Home - Light up Your Life The Southern Breeze Hot List Unexpected Destin-ation Visual Zydeco We're an American Band The Good Life From Halter Tops to Maternity Tops Reader Services Cheers - Lazy Libations Dish - Mississippi Yearning Chef's Table - Welcome to The Doll House Let's Eat - Sunrise Sensations Last Bite

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