Mississippi

See which of the state’s breweries was named the best in Mississippi

Published

2 months ago

May 2, 2024

See which of the state’s breweries was named the best in Mississippi

If you’re looking for a good craft beer brewed in Mississippi, you may not have to look far. With roughly 20 brewers in the state, your chances are good.

Finding the best beers in the state is another story, but SB Nation’s Hustle Belt – Belts Beer Garden makes it easier to hop on a crafty destination.

This year’s Top 5 breweries in the state feature some familiar favorites and a couple new ones to sample, if you haven’t yet.

Hattiesburg’s Southern Prohibition Brewing Co., which opened in 2013, tops this year’s list.

It’s the passion of the people working at SoPro that makes the brewery what it is.

“The beer is a piece of the puzzle,” said Ben Green, who has been SoPro’s head brewer since the beginning. “It might be a big piece of the puzzle, but it’s the details that make it go from good to great. We’re always striving to get better at those details.”

Over the years, the brewery has experimented with a lot of beers and beer styles, pushing each to the extreme and trying variations of the brews to make them exciting, fun and appealing to beer aficionados. In addition, SoPro opened a taproom, a large outdoor patio and an event room for special occasions. There is a full-service restaurant and full bar, including a selection of alcohol-free mocktails, making it a family-friendly, something-for-everyone kind of place.

“In 2024, we look a lot different,” Green said. “We’re really focused on the experience.”

But Southern Prohibition is focused on the beers, too. Greens said the brewery is constantly making improvements.

“The landscape is awesome right now,” Green said. “It’s become more competitive, which is better for everybody. We’re constantly trying to be better versions of ourselves and that shows in our beers.”

Other breweries on the list include No. 2 Fly Llama Brewing in Biloxi; Natchez Brewing Co. in Natchez at No. 3; No. 4 Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. in Kiln; and Jackson’s Fertile Ground Beer Co. rounding out the list at No. 5.

Fertile Ground owner Matthew McLaughlin said his brewery takes a different perspective on making beer.

“We approach our portfolio a little bit differently than other breweries,” he said. “IPAs ruled the world for the last 15-plus years. We make some of those, but we really focus on lagers, which take a considerable amount of time and attention to brew.”

The brewery is in the heart of the Belhaven Town Center development. Weekly events include trivia and adult spelling bees, and monthly weekend events include crawfish boils and cookouts. Oktoberfest, of course, is a main event going into the fall.

“It’s a social magnet,” McLaughlin said. “Being that kind of cohesive community glue is what is most inspiring to me.”

Mississippi’s venture in the craft beer industry was slow getting started, mainly because state law wasn’t conducive to building a thriving beer business.

The first new law that kicked off the movement was one that allowed for beers containing more than 5% alcohol to be sold in the state. Allowing breweries to sell their beer on site also helped.

The changes to state law started in 2012, and since then the growth of beer sales and number of breweries popping up has continued to grow.

The oldest brewery in the state is Lazy Magnolia, which started making and selling packaged beer in 2005. In 2013, Southern Prohibition Brewing and several other breweries opened and the craft beer trend took off.

Although the breweries could make beer, they couldn’t sell it on location, so beer lovers had to buy their favorites in retail stores. Instead of selling beer, breweries offered tours for a fee and gave away samples of their beer with the tours.

In 2017, another new law was enacted to allow breweries to sell a limited amount of their beers, so many opened taprooms to the delight of fans. Craft beer lovers could meet at the breweries and compare notes on the beers in person.

Other new laws in recent years have done even more to help the craft beer business in Mississippi, creating an even more robust industry.

Today, Mississippi’s craft beer industry has an economic impact on the state of roughly $269 million per year, according to 2022 figures, the most recent available from the Brewers Association. The state’s breweries produce more than 20,000 barrels of beer each year.

Raise Your Pints: Small group helped bring big change to Mississippi’s craft beer movement

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X  @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

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Mississippi

Mississippi legislature hosts Alabama for softball game at Trustmark Park

Published

4 hours ago

June 22, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi legislature hosts Alabama for softball game at Trustmark Park

PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – Saturday, the Mississippi legislature welcomed the Alabama legislature to Trustmark Park for the inaugural Battle of Tombigbee softball game.

“We got a challenge at the beginning of the year to play the Alabama legislators in a softball game,” said Rep. Troy Smith, who represents Mississippi’s 84th District. “They’ve been doing this for several years; this is our first go around.”

The meeting on the diamond was initiated with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety delivering the game ball to the field via helicopter and kicked off a fun and friendly rivalry between the two states.

Not your typical game at Trustmark Park today. It’s The Battle of Tombigbee: the Mississippi legislature is facing the Alabama legislature in a softball game. I’ll have the story tonight on @WLBT pic.twitter.com/yDy7YBtweP
— Patrick Johnstone (@PJohnstone_) June 22, 2024
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“It’s great for the two states to come around and play together, it’s going to be an annual thing,” Smith said.

The state representatives were happy to take a day to have fun with their statesmen and neighbors to the east.

“You can see on the bench, we’re all one team, [we have] camaraderie,” said Mississippi District 1 Representative Lester Carpenter. “We work in the House together, we play ball together, so it’s a wonderful thing.”

“We have a job, we discuss laws, we get a lot of criticism on things we do, a lot of gratitude too,” Smith said. “To come out and mix it with other people who have got the same job, use the same stories, it’s fun.”

While it’s been a minute since some of the state reps took reps on the field, they were able to get back into the swing of things.

“It takes us a while to get used to this,” said Alabama House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen. “We’ve been stretching and trying to run, but we’ve got to knock the dust off us a little bit.”

“We’ve got one in their 20s, one in their 30s, the rest 40 and above. A lot of us ain’t been on a ballfield in 20-30 years, but it feels good,” Smith said.

The best part of the whole event: revenue generated from the game went to benefit the Mississippi Children’s Hospital.

“The kids are the real winners, right?” Stadthagen said. “Hopefully we raise a lot of money for it, and hopefully it benefits a lot of kids.”

Saturday’s game did not disappoint. The showdown at Trustmark Park went into the 10th inning, and Alabama won 7-5.

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Mississippi

Highest-rated beer in Mississippi

Published

11 hours ago

June 22, 2024

Press Room

If you drink beer—any beer—you’re probably familiar with the craft beer explosion that began in the late 2010s, and you likely fall into one of two camps: IPA warrior or lager loyalist. The great thing about a beer-related revolution is that there is no wrong side. Whatever your preference, cheers to you.

The brewery business is indeed a revolution by many counts. According to the Brewers Association, the number of breweries in the United States grew by 567% from 2003 to 2023—all while beer consumption, on average, was declining. For the first time since 1999, beer shipments fell below 200 million barrels in 2023, making it the lowest amount of beer consumed in the U.S. in a generation.

Like all revolutions, this began as a desire for change—as an overthrow of the old and the monopolistic. When combined, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors (formerly MillerCoors), two of the largest beer companies in the world, comprised roughly 72% of total beer sales in the U.S. around 2013. A decade later, that share dropped to 65.7% in 2023, with smaller brewers claiming a larger share.

With a taste of the innovations and variety coming out of craft breweries, consumers are demanding a higher-quality product—and are willing to pay more for it. Over the last decade, between May 2014 and May 2024, beer prices have risen 21% overall.

But how can you determine the best craft beers in an increasingly crowded market? If you’re curious about the most popular beers in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated beers in Mississippi using ratings from BeerAdvocate. A maximum of five beers per brewery were included.

Read on to plan your next local beer tour!

Note: Photos of each beer are included where available from BeerAdvocate; otherwise, stock images are shown.

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#15. Vanilla Pecan

– Rating: 3.58 (13 ratings)
– Type: English Brown Ale
– ABV: 4.50%
– Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Coffee Shoppe

– Rating: 3.67 (12 ratings)
– Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
– ABV: 6.00%
– Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Gulf Sour Series – Blueberry Crumble

– Rating: 3.74 (11 ratings)
– Type: Berliner Weisse
– ABV: 5.70%
– Brewery: Chandeleur Island Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Good Bug

– Rating: 3.79 (11 ratings)
– Type: American Blonde Ale
– ABV: 4.50%
– Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Lil’ Miss Sour

– Rating: 3.82 (27 ratings)
– Type: Wild Ale
– ABV: 5.50%
– Brewery: Chandeleur Island Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

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#10. Ole Buddy

– Rating: 3.96 (10 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 6.20%
– Brewery: Chandeleur Island Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Timber Beast

– Rating: 3.94 (519 ratings)
– Type: Imperial IPA
– ABV: 9.00%
– Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Gulf Sour Series – Lovebug

– Rating: 3.99 (21 ratings)
– Type: Fruited Kettle Sour
– ABV: 6.00%
– Brewery: Chandeleur Island Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Gulf Sour Series – Guava Jelly

– Rating: 4.02 (17 ratings)
– Type: Fruited Kettle Sour
– ABV: 6.00%
– Brewery: Chandeleur Island Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Altered Beast

– Rating: 4.01 (23 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 6.10%
– Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

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#5. Soul Glo

– Rating: 4.05 (32 ratings)
– Type: Saison
– ABV: 8.40%
– Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Cream Stout

– Rating: 4.13 (12 ratings)
– Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
– ABV: 5.40%
– Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Space To Face

– Rating: 4.22 (21 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 5.90%
– Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Crowd Control

– Rating: 4.22 (203 ratings)
– Type: Imperial IPA
– ABV: 8.00%
– Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Paradise Lost

– Rating: 4.27 (74 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 8.10%
– Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states and Washington D.C.

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Mississippi

Fishermen rescue 38 hunting dogs from drowning in Mississippi lake

Published

18 hours ago

June 22, 2024

Press Room

Fishermen rescue 38 hunting dogs from drowning in Mississippi lake

***Learn about swimming safety in the video above.***

(WJW) – A small group of fishermen are being hailed heroes after making an unexpected catch that day — more than three dozen hunting dogs treading water in a Mississippi lake.

It all started when Bob Gist, a 61-year-old State Farm agent from Arkansas, went on a fishing trip to Lake Grenada with his friend Brad Carlisle, a State Farm agent from Tennessee, as reported by Fox News.

Gist told Fox News they were out on the lake with a fishing guide, Jordan Chrestman, when they suddenly heard dogs barking.

“Pretty soon we saw some dogs on the horizon in the water,” Gist told the news outlet.

The friends noticed the group of dogs, which were part of an annual fox run, were trying to catch a deer in the water, according to reports.

The group went on fishing for another 10 to 15 minutes when the guide said he wanted to check back on the dogs.

“We’re just flabbergasted because it’s dogs everywhere,” Gist told Fox News. “They’re all going in different directions because they can no longer see the bank on either side.”

The fishermen then sprung into action, bringing as many hunting dogs as they could onto their bass fishing boat.

Courtesy of Robert Gist

Reports say the rescuers returned about 25 to 27 dogs to shore when their owners came running over, pleading for help.

With help from a man on shore with a GPS tracker, they were able to rescue the remaining dogs that, according to Gist, “were on the verge of drowning,” Fox News reported.

Gist posted photos from the rescue on his professional Facebook page, with the caption reading, “Like a Good Neighbor Bob Gist was there!”

The fishermen have received plenty of praise since the rescue, with one commenter saying, “All of you guys are true HEROES! Love this story!’

“Our family have dogs of our own and I know how much this means to those owners! Thank you!” another said.

Gist said he’s grateful they were in the right place at the right time, but he’s giving the most credit to their fishing guide.

“Jordan realized there might be a problem and said we needed to go check. He was so correct,” Gist said on Facebook. “We all pulled dogs from the water and Jordan managed (the) recovery like he had done it before. He is the hero here for sure.”

He told Fox News that the dog owners tried to pay Chrestman for rescuing the pups, but the fishing guide refused to take the money.

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