According to The Economic Impact of the Beer Industry, "in 2012 Mississippi's 3 brewing establishments (including breweries, brewpubs, importers, and company-owned packagers and wholesalers) employed 30 people directly, and more than 6,800 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing. Altogether 3 people in Mississippi had active brewer permits in 2012."
Since the growing trend of "craft beer" and "local breweries," Mississippi breweries have grown significantly! Below, I've listed out the most common (and known) breweries today in Mississippi and highlighted a few of their beers!

{Crooked Letter Brewing Company}
Location: Ocean Springs
Established: 2012

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Crooked Letter Brewing Company, www.crookedletterbrewing.com/

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company, www.lazymagnolia.com/

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Lucky Town Brewing Company, www.luckytownbrewing.com/

Mississippi Brewing Company is considered a "brewpub" which means they not only brew their own beer, but also serve it onsite. Check out more about brewpubs, or microbrewery, here!

For more information on how you can visit this brewpub, visit Mississippi Brewing Company,
http://www.mississippibrewingcompany.com/

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Oxford Brewing Company,
www.oxfordmsbrewing.com/

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Southern Prohibition Brewing Company,
www.soprobrewing.com/

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Yalobusha Brewing Company,
https://twitter.com/YaloBrew

For a complete list of beers and information on brewery tours, visit Gordon Creek Brewery,
https://www.facebook.com/gordoncreek.brewery.3

It all began with a man who didn’t like coffee.  Paul Bonds had always been disappointed with the taste of brand-name coffee, but with one sip of a gourmet roast, his mindset completely changed.

With his interest brewing, Paul began researching high quality coffee beans and quickly starting roasting his own coffee.  He was amazed to find it is the #2 trading commodity in the world.  He soon began sharing his home-brewed coffee and his newly found knowledge with friends.  Paul laughs, “I could talk to friends about coffee for an hour and their eyes would start to glaze over.  It had become a passion!”

With encouragement from his family and friends, Paul began selling his specialty coffees at local farmers markets.  During his first experience in 2010, a man approached and asked, “What flavors do you have?”  Paul began explaining that he had coffee from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, etc., but the customer cut him off and said, “I just want some regular coffee.”  It was then that Paul realized it would be a great challenge to educate his customers about gourmet coffee - where the beans come from, the quality, and why it tastes so good.  As Paul notes, “Specialty coffee is a very young industry.  It is tough because it’s easier to be a settler than a pioneer.”  It was a challenge he was willing to accept.

By 2012, brewing specialty coffee became Paul’s full-time business.  Coffee is made from a fruit (commonly known as a bean).  Paul and his wife liked the sound of the name BeanFruit, and it stuck!  BeanFruit Coffee Co. buys high quality coffee from countries around the world.  Paul buys all of his coffee beans seasonally, ensuring he receives the highest quality coffees.  His products are traceable, so he knows exactly where his beans come from. 

Paul says owning a small business in Mississippi is an incredible opportunity.  “My favorite part of the job is the relationship aspect.  I am able to connect with people from all walks of life.  With a product like coffee, all people can relate.”

BeanFruit is a Fair Trade Certified company (one of only two in the state) with its operations held in Pearl on Highway 80. You can find BeanFruit’s gourmet coffee in coffee shops such as Sneaky Beans in Jackson, and the coffee shop in Pine Lake Church in Brandon.  It is also found in Jackson-area restaurants like Parlor Market, La Finestra and The Manship.  Retail stores such as Lemuria Books and Olivia’s Food Emporium also carry BeanFruit, or you can order it off of the website, www.beanfruit.com.

Paul says the true drive behind his company is relationships.  “My passion is developing meaningful relationships so that others can achieve their success.”

For more information on the BeanFruit Coffee Company, visit their website here 

{Guest Blogger} Mitchell Walters

"The night before the shower I remember thinking "I feel so much excitement!" I was like a kid on Christmas eve."

"Showers, of any kind, have (to me) become so intimate, so special. So naturally I felt overwhelmed with happiness because we were about to shower our best friend with so much love. The shower itself, was very laid back (just as Savannah is). The affair was intimate and casual and we played games that made us laugh so hard that we collapsed to the floor."

"There wasn't so much a theme as there was a "mood", which was joyous and fun. We ate h'orderves, drank punch, and watched Savannah open presents all the while also taking selfies for Instagram (duh) We sent her home (all the way back to memphis) with gifts exploding out of her trunk and with a smile on her face."

She has since had her little fella, who goes by the name of Ezra (i know, cool right?!) and is happy and settled at home. Her and Jared are loving life and soaking up every single minute of Ezras presence, all while changing diapers every 5 minutes :)

{Guest Post} Savannah Koon

z gallerie | luna bazaar | zulily | etsy | hobby lobby

At age eleven, Weston Reed was a faithful, sweet boy who loved living life everyday.  He had an amazing, busy summer playing outdoors with his friends and family, and was looking forward to entering the 6th grade at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School.  His enthusiasm was contagious, and his zest for life was obvious.  As he once said, "Mom, life is for the living!"

On August 16, 2007, Weston told his dad he had a wonderful first day back to school.  He went to soccer practice in the afternoon, and afterwards his team decided to play a game of scrimmage.  During the first play, Weston collapsed.  Physicians on the field rushed to his side and administered CPR, but no AED (automated external defibrillator) was available.  Unfortunately, Weston could not be revived.  

Weston's friends and family found peace in their faith and in the last verse Weston learned with his father.  "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. " Joshua 1:9

The Weston Reed Foundation was formed, and it seeks to save young lives from life threatening cardiac events by screening and early detection of heart condition.  It also trains individuals to take appropriate actions in heart hearth emergencies and placement of AED's in communities.  

Tomorrow, Saturday, August 9th, The West Reed Foundation will be giving FREE physicals for children ages sixth grade and up at the Police Athletic League in Tupelo. Here is all the information you need for your child's free physical:

Weston Reed was a passionate and inspirational boy, who would be so proud to know he is helping save other children's lives.  For more information on the Weston Reed Foundation, click here or call Beverly Crossen at 662.372.2208

It was July 19th, 2013. My husband and I went in for our 12 week prenatal checkup (a week late because of a trip we’d been on) to see how our sweet little baby was growing! This was our first pregnancy and, as you could imagine, after trying for about 18 months, we were on cloud nine that we’d finally gotten pregnant!

When we were called into the sonogram room shortly after we’d arrived, the sonogram tech found what we had just hoped and prayed would not be the case! Our baby wasn’t moving. Had stopped growing. Was laying there perfectly and peacefully still. Lifeless.

It was devastating. Without question, this was the hardest trial we’d faced as a married couple of just over four years. The weeks and months of getting “back to normal” after the loss of our sweet baby were trying, to say the least. But because of that trying experience, I was able to lean on my husband, my family, and most importantly, our Lord and Savior.

I would have to say that, as much as I love my husband and am 110% certain that he is the man that God picked out for me, he did not really act how I expected him to after the loss of our little girl. (Quick crazy story— As I was coming out of anesthesia after my d&c procedure just hours after we found out I’d miscarried, I heard God tell me our baby had been a girl, although it was way too early for the doctor to tell. It’s completely unexplainable— God works in mysterious ways! It’s the only situation in my life that something like that has happened! So we named her Anna and she is very much a part of our family.)

So back to what I started to say a minute ago— What do I mean “act how I expected him to?” Great question. How should I expect him to act? This is not a scenario that they cover during premarital counseling, or in marriage books, or in Husbandry 101, and actually as I found out, it’s a scenario that very few people even talk about! After my miscarriage, it turned out that probably every third woman with whom I walk life had had one before. WHAT? Why had nobody ever said anything?

Anyway, I guess I expected my husband to mourn with me. And he did, to an extent. But he hardly ever cried. (He actually cried once, and it was the moment we found out Anna wasn’t growing anymore.) I was crying left and right! He didn’t really want to talk about what had happened, and it’s all I wanted to talk about! He wanted to resume life as normally and as quickly as possible. I wanted to enjoy my pillow nest in my bed with my limited supply of pain pills and stay away from reality as long as I could because I thought I’d be a wreck in front of anyone who gave me a hug or asked me any questions about what had happened.
I could tell that, for about three or so months after our miscarriage, whenever I said anything about Anna or our loss, my husband would talk with me, but would keep it as surface-level as possible. I was doing my best to respect his manner of dealing with it all, but finally I broke down to him one night and sobbingly asked if I was going through this hurt alone! “Do you feel any pain at all from all of this?” I asked him. “Do you even care?” I questioned dramatically, in true womanly form…

And that’s when he told me something I least expected to hear.

That was all he had to say. I got it. I realized that I’d been cramming all of my newfound goodness down his throat at every opportunity and did not give him room to even breathe or flourish as the spiritual leader of our home! I was trying to do all the leading. I was trying to force him into a role that he fills quite well when allowed to do so naturally!

So after my husband made clear to me where he was coming from emotionally and spiritually, I had a major behavior shift (which wasn’t necessarily easy.) I did my very best to respect him and his methods as my rock and my leader. And I have to say, it’s been very rewarding. I admit, I’m not the most respectful of wives, but The Lord taught me that is one of my roles as a godly mate! God has really strengthened us individually and as a couple. And after our little tearful (on my end) chat that one night, he better understood my need to talk about Anna and our situation. That was my healing mechanism.

Our marriage is ten times stronger than it was this time last year without question. I’m not saying we’re perfect by ANY means. Oh no, no, no! We have a looong way to go. But God is showing us things about each other, about Himself, and about the fragility and preciousness of life. And— bonus— He has given me strength to talk to others and share my story with people I don’t even know! The Lord has used my miscarriage to bring amazing people into my life, and I pray that He uses me to speak into the lives of others who are going through a similar hurt. I also pray that my husband will be able to minister to the husbands of women who have experienced miscarriage.

I encourage those of you who are experiencing hurt after miscarriage to open up to someone. And to figure out where your husband is coming from, because he’s going to act weird! I can almost guarantee! I completely understand that it’s natural to want to keep your hurt inside, but I can speak from first hand experience that opening up was a huge part of healing for me. I found a quote by the amazing C. S. Lewis that really spoke to me as far as opening up: “I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.”

Please, take heart in knowing that God has a plan for you. And a GREAT one at that! A plan that we absolutely cannot see from our limited points of view. After the loss of Anna, I wondered if and when I’d ever get pregnant again. We became very diligent in praying for a healthy pregnancy when God’s time was right. And guess what? Anna has a little sibling due in December. :)

Praise The Lord!