Wayne Andrews, the executive director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, described Miss-I-Sippin’ as an event with many similarities to a comic book convention – but more fun because there’s beer.
The official beer festival of the Mississippi Brewers Guild, hosted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, will be held tonight and Saturday afternoon. Tickets for tonight’s event are $80 and tickets for Saturday are $30. Members of the arts council will receive a discount.
(Courtesy: Yoknapatawpha Arts Council)
This year’s event will differ from last year’s, turning what was once a one-day event into a two-day showcase of food, music and, of course, beer.
Tonight’s event in The Powerhouse will feature a dinner of chicken, shrimp and catfish, all donated by state businesses like Sanderson Farms and Delta Pride Catfish. Meredith Pittman of Oxford’s Second Line restaurant is the guest chef.
“It’s really about putting people around a table,” Andrews said. “When you’re conversing and talking and sharing food, you sort of build an understanding, you start hearing stories and you start realizing that the music you’re hearing has a different linkage and tells the stories of our area. That’s where the beers come from and the foods come from. That’s why we have this kind of beer festival that’s also for art.”
All breweries that are a part of the Mississippi Brewers Guild are featured in tonight’s event, including breweries like Yalobusha Brewing Company from Water Valley and Lucky Town Brewing Company from Jackson.
Saturday’s event will be held at the Old Armory Pavilion on University Avenue, and feature Mississippi beers as well as southern regional beers like Abita, Ghost River and Tin Roof, according to Andrews.
“It’s not like Coke and Pepsi wars when it comes to craft beers,” Andrews said. “It isn’t competition, it’s complimentary.”
Andrews said the Saturday event is more like a big block party for the community, where everyone can enjoy a nice Saturday afternoon.
“This isn’t a keg party,” Andrews said. “It’s more like a community cookout with adult beverages and localized music.”
Saturday’s event will feature local food trucks as well as musicians such as Nate Robbins.
Proceeds gained from the beer festival will benefit both the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, which will utilize the funds to continue to provide arts programs throughout the year, and the Mississippi Brewers Guild.
“The Mississippi Brewers Guild is leading the effort to overhaul the antiquated beer laws in this state,” Andy O’Bryan, owner of Yalobusha Brewing Company and member of the guild, said. “The financial help from events like Miss-I-Sippin’ help our cause by allowing us to lobby and promote what we’re trying to accomplish.”
O’Bryan, who said he would like to see Mississippi pass legislation that allows less restrictive sales for breweries, said events like Miss-I-Sippin’ are critical for the guild’s political effort.
“All of the breweries have so much money tied up in their startups that it’s been difficult for us to really be active politically,” O’Bryan said. “Unfortunately, we have seen the ugly side of politics and we simply don’t have the ability to compete. Having events that financially benefit the M.B.G. is critical to our ongoing efforts to move Mississippi forward in the craft beer industry.”
Although the guild hopes to advance its political efforts, Andrews said this event is as much about bringing the community together as it is for beer.
“It’s like a big block party. You have parents that will bring their kids in a stroller or will let them go out and play in the grass,” Andrews said. “This is a community and neighborhood gathering that’s all about showcasing the great things that are in our state. I think an event that tells the stories of the Mississippi products, when we’re talking about the food and the music and the breweries, and how progressive the state really is helps to build a sense of community and pride.”
