I recently attended the Southern Brewers Club quarterly beer tasting event at the Beau Rivage showcasing local craft breweries including the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Chandeleur Brewing Company. The event showcased multiple beers from different breweries all offered at the Beau Rivage’s Coast restaurant. After chatting with our friends at Beau Rivage, I found that this event only scratched the surface of the Beau’s involvement with local breweries. Here are just a few fun facts I discovered about the relationship between beer and Beau Rivage.

 

Beau Rivage was the first micro-brewery in the state of Mississippi.

 

In 1999, Beau Rivage opened Coast Brewing Company creating the first micro-brewery in the state! The brewing tanks were visible to guests, giving them the chance to take a peek at the brew process. Coast Brewing Company won multiple awards for its Sunset Amber Beer. Seven ales and lagers were brewed in-house, with the Biloxi Blonde being their most popular. Beau Rivage is no longer home to a brewery, but it proudly serves beer brewed in all breweries located right here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

 

Beau Rivage was instrumental in the craft beer movement in Mississippi.

 

Mississippi was the last state in the U.S. without a microbrewery or brewpub.  That changed in March 1999 when Beau Rivage opened its doors and inside was Coast Brewing Company.  At the time, Mississippi law limited beer sold in the state to a 4 percent ABV, challenging the brewmaster to create great flavor with lighter beers.

 

With the Beau Rivage housing the first micro-brewery in the state, they opened the door for many others to follow in their footsteps.