Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company - Vanilla Pecan

This month we’re taking the somewhat unusual step of putting Lazy Magnolia’s year-round flagship Southern Pecan up against their seasonal Vanilla Pecan in a sort of intramural side by side comparison. For Vanilla Pecan, the brewery incorporates real Madagascar vanilla beans into their base Southern Pecan, offering a unique take on what is already a unique brown ale. On the nose, we picked up much of the same profile as in the original, with plenty of toasty and nutty malt character coming forth, but that vanilla contribution comes through with mild to moderate intensity, as well, which melds nicely with the sweeter malty impressions. It’s on the palate, though, that things get even more interesting. Look for that vanilla addition to come through quite boldly, amplifying the creamy mouthfeel and building upon the malty caramelization and light toastiness in the center of this brew. We loved how the brewers incorporate the vanilla beans as a significant and transformative character on this beer’s stage, but without overacting and bludgeoning us the way some other brewers do with their special additions. For pairing options, roasted and grilled meats will do nicely, but the brewery’s recommendation of tiramisu is a standout option as well, as the beer will beautifully complement the caramel and coffee notes. Cheers!

The Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company was founded by Mark and Leslie Henderson in 2004. Born and raised in Mississippi, the couple met in college and moved to the Gulf Coast in 2000 to pursue careers in engineering. The first steps toward the founding of Lazy Magnolia occurred one Christmas when Leslie bought Mark a homebrewing kit because she couldn't think of anything else to get him. We’ve all been there, right? You don’t know what to get someone, so you give something that YOU want, and hope for the best. Mark only got to brew one batch of beer before Leslie took over the “brewing operations,” leaving Mark to put his engineering skills to work designing new equipment, tools, and gizmos to enhance the homebrewing process. It didn't take long for this hobby to take over their house and all of their free time. “We were brewing twice every weekend, and we were giving away almost everything that we brewed to friends,” laments Leslie. The house was completely overtaken with 5-gallon glass jugs, copper heat exchangers, and bubbling buckets of beer as they refined their recipes.

Family and friends were so impressed with these homemade creations that they encouraged the couple to go pro; many even offered to invest in such a venture. So Mark and Leslie started doing some serious research to answer basic questions about the legal status of breweries in Mississippi (there were none at that point) and the potential market in the state for specialty beer. Much to their surprise, all answers came back positive. The time seemed ripe for Mississippi to join the rest of the nation in the craft beer revolution. A building was secured in September 2004 and the brewing equipment was delivered in October and fully set-up by December. The dream became a reality in January 2005, when the first batch of beer was brewed on the Lazy Magnolia system, making them the first packaging brewery in Mississippi since Prohibition. Barely up and running, Hurricane Katrina hit, briefly shutting down operations and, sadly, destroying the couple's home, but the beer was flowing again by October.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, check out their web site at www.lazymagnolia.com.