When Mark and Leslie Henderson left Mississippi State University in 2000 with engineering degrees in hand, they did not know they would become the creators and founders of the Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co., Mississippi’s first brewery.The couple began brewing beer as a hobby, Leslie Henderson said.
“We left Mississippi State for engineering jobs on the Coast,” she said. “We had new jobs and no homework, and we had lots of time and money.”
Leslie bought Mark a homebrew kit for Christmas, and after he brewed only one batch, Leslie took over the brewing operations.
“It took over our house,” Leslie Henderson said. “We were brewing twice every weekend and giving most of what we brewed away to our friends.”
The couple’s friends and family encouraged them to brew beer on the professional level, but Mark and Leslie had their doubts at first.
“We didn’t think it was possible to go pro,” Leslie Henderson said.
So the couple did some research on the legal status of breweries in Mississippi and the potential market for specialty beers.
“We found that there were a lot of people who would go crazy to have a microbrewery in Mississippi,” Leslie Henderson said. “We had a lot of people who wanted to invest with us.”
The legal questions all came back with positive answers, giving the couple the green light to open shop.
Leslie entered the American Brewers Guild Brewing School in 2003 and followed with an apprenticeship at the Crescent City Brewhouse in New Orleans. Mark developed business plans, designed logos and performed market research during this time.
In September 2004, the couple signed a lease for a building in Kiln, and in January 2005 the first batch of beer was brewed. Then there was a major setback.
“After just eight months of being in business, [Hurricane] Katrina hit,” Henderson said. “Our very young business got hit pretty hard.”
Most of Lazy Magnolia’s clients were wiped out, she said.
“In order to stay in business, we pushed into north Mississippi to places like Starkville,” Henderson said. “We were always planning to go into the Starkville area. We just had to do it a lot sooner than expected.”
Old Venice Pizza Co. is one of the businesses that carries the Lazy Magnolia beers on draft.
Dylan Bradshaw, bar manager, said he chose to carry the Southern Pecan and Blue Heron beers to add to the variety of draft beers.
“It’s made in Mississippi, so it was a good choice,” he said. “Customers love it. The Southern Pecan sells really well, and the Blue Heron is not too far behind it.”
Bradshaw said Southern Pecan is probably the No. 1 beer sold on draft at the Old Venice Burgundy Room.
“It’s just got a real pecan finish. It’s pretty comparable to New Castle,” Bradshaw said.
Leslie Henderson said Lazy Magnolia works hard to keep a Southern feel to the beers they create.
“We are what people in the South like to drink,” Leslie Henderson said. “It’s made to match the local climate. It’s like home cooking.”
The Lazy Magnolia beers are now available in about 300 restaurants, bars and groceries throughout the state, with about 90 of those being on the Coast.
“We are selling more beer on the Coast now than before the storm,” Leslie Henderson said.
“A lot of these places are family-owned,” Leslie Henderson said.
The company’s beers are also served at chain restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Mellow Mushroom and Outback Steakhouse.
Gar Hatcher is the head brewer for Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company and Leslie Henderson’s brother.
“Basically I get to come in and make beer every day. It’s a beautiful thing,” he said.
Hatcher said the company makes six beers year round with rotating seasonal beers. The company makes 10 types of beer altogether.
“Every beer that we make, we don’t just make it to make beer; we make it to be special,” he said.
Real Southern pecans are used for the Southern Pecan beer, and the winter seasonal beer, Sweet Potato Cream Stout, is brewed with real shredded sweet potatoes, Hatcher said.
“For people who really enjoy the taste of beer, we have a lot to offer,” he said.