Technology flows through Mississippi's Lazy Magnolia Brewery

Rick Limpert - Atlanta Gadgets Examiner

Enter the front doors of Lazy Magnolia Brewery and you will be greeted with the customary kegs and boxed bottles of the beer that you will find in any brewery, big or small, in the United States. But peel back the layers of what you see on the surface at Lazy Magnolia, and take the guided tour it will open your eyes as to how far regional breweries have come to competing with the big guys.

Lazy Magnolia Brewery just happened to be founded by two engineers in Mark and Leslie Henderson. These two took the dive back in 2003 on a small scale, but it quickly grew and continues to grow to this day. Lazy Magnolia brews can be found in 18 states including Texas, Florida and New York.

“In 2005, we built the first Mississippi packaging brewery since prohibition. The memory of sitting on top of the brewhouse for the first time is still fresh in our minds," states Leslie on the Lazy Magnolia website. "We had tears of joy, pride, anticipation, and no small amount of terror streaming down our faces. Our hard work was inspired by our love and belief in Mississippi."

Located on a road that is adjacent to Stennis Airport off I-10 in Kiln, Miss. While Kiln may best be known as the hometown of NFL legend, Brett Favre, Lazy Magnolia is giving Brett a run when it comes to being Kiln's most famous export.

Lazy Magnolia's brewing facility is a mix of the old and new. From an old Popeye's Chicken oven where pecans are roasted for their popular Southern Pecan beer to advanced technology as part of the brewing process when it comes to brewing their IPA, Ale and Stout varieties. Lazy Magnolia also leases out its brewing facility to other regional breweries during downtime.

Thanks to the technology in place in their facility Lazy Magnolia beers are available in standard 5.16-US-gallon (19.5 L) and 15.5-US-gallon (59 L) stainless steel kegs. Many craft breweries only have one way of packaging their brews, but "Lazy" has multiple of options of getting their beer to beer lovers. Technology is also used in the "quality control" process at Lazy Magnolia to make beer that is available in big markets like Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.

Educational tours of the breweries are offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays at various times and each visitor gets their own souvenir pint glass. Tours are $10 per person, but free to designated drivers and minors. First Friday's of the month are another great excuse to come out to Lazy Magnolia. Live music and proceeds going to different charities make the beer taste even better. First Friday is $15 for adults and kids get in for free. Lazy Magnolia is also the driving force behind the beer garden at MGM Park and the Biloxi Shuckers baseball games. The Shuckers are the Class AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play to large crowds against other teams in the Southern League.

Lazy Magnolia Brewery is located at 7030 Roscoe Turner Rd. in Kiln, MS, just outside of Gulfport. Reach Lazy Magnolia by phone at (228) 467-2727 and on the web here. Lazy Magnolia also has a handy "Beer Locator" where you can see where Lazy Magnolia beers are sold and available. They next time you see a Lazy Magnolia brew, give it a try.

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