Lazy Magnolia, Blossoms Bloomin

This weekend Le Bucket and I had the pleasure of learning all about the Lazy Magnolia brewery at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Lazy Magnolia brewery began, as all true passions in life, as a hobby for husband and wife Mark and Leslie Henderson. Both of them are engineers and one year for Christmas Leslie gave Mark a brew kit. Four years later they were brewing beer as a business.

The operation is based out of Kiln, Mississippi. That is the same home town as Brett Favre. Brett Favre does not drink beer anymore. Lazy Magnolia's most famous brew is the delightful Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale. The Henderson's kindly brought along some bottles for everyone to try. The pecan flavor asserts itself in a subtle manner about 2/3rds of the way through the brick. One of the more interesting uses of this beer, that they recommended, layers the Pecan Ale and Guinness for Pralines and Cream dessert beer. That sounds good enough to be a main course.

The beer selection from Lazy Magnolia is heavily linked to food and brewed with the South's climate in mind. The Sweet Potato Cream Stout uses the starchiness of sweet potatoes to mimic the taste of Oatmeal Stouts. "I want drinking beer to be equivalent to a good meal. A barbecue, grilled chicken, pizza, sushi...each of these meals has a specific flavor profile and experience. That is what we shoot for in crafting our beers," Mr. Henderson added.

Lazy Magnolia's varietals currently are not sold in Louisiana. However, they hope to expand into the market very soon. It will not be soon enough. For you readers in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, congrats on scoring such a fine product.

And please, go to check out SOFAB. It really is a great museum and the staff does a wonderful job or putting on presentations like this weekly.