Now that Mississippi’s alcohol laws have loosened, the craft beer scene in the Magnolia State is growing.
At least three new microbreweries will launch this year, according to a recent Gulfport Sun Herald article detailing the rise in consumer demand for locally brewed craft beer.
The influx of new breweries comes nearly seven months after Mississippi lawmakers approved Senate Bill 2878, which increased the amount of alcohol by weight that beer both brewed and sold within the state could contain from 5 percent to 8 percent.
Until the law passed, brewers in Mississippi were restricted to producing only lower proof offerings, which deterred many startup brewers from setting up shop in state. And it wasn’t until last month that the state’s only commercial beer maker – Kiln’s Lazy Magnolia Brewing – had a competitor in Gluckstadt-based Lucky Town Brewing Co., which is currently contract brewing its beer in Alabama. Ocean Springs-based Crooked Letter Brewing is now the third craft brewer to open its doors; Brewbound.com confirmed today that the company has signed a distribution agreement with Gulfport’s Rex Distributing.
The Sun Herald article also reports that two additional breweries — Southern Prohibition Brewery and Gordon Creek Brewery — are planning to launch soon. The full story can be read here.