As many small breweries face closures and contraction, Mississippi Culture Oak Fermented Ales is marking three years in business, with a strategy focused on community partnerships and diversified offerings beyond beer.
The Staunton, Illinois-based brewery will celebrate its anniversary April 18 with the release of Shadows Blend #2, a Belgian dark ale aged in Switchgrass Spirits rye whiskey barrels, alongside a bourbon finished in Mississippi Culture barrels. The event will also feature a collaboration beer with White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery and food from Sneaky’s Burgers.
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“We always talk about our business model as running a successful bar first. Then, on top of that, we make our own beer,” says owner and brewer Tracy Hutton, noting that about 40 percent of sales came from cocktails within its first year. “Leaning into cocktails and unique offerings has helped keep us open.”
Expanding the Menu
At first, Mississippi Culture focused almost entirely on mixed-culture beers fermented or aged in oak. “I love the aroma of a whiskey barrel-aged beer,” Hutton says. “We try to build it where it has a lot of aroma and the flavor is a touch more subdued so it drinks smooth.”
For instance, Mississippi Culture aged its Belgian dark ale Shadows in rye whiskey barrels from Switchgrass Spirits for about four months before returning them to the distillery, which then used the barrels to finish bourbon for a joint release.
Such partnerships have become a key part of the brewery’s growth strategy. The brewery is also releasing Joint Celebration, a spontaneous fermentation collaboration with White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery, which will be timed around the two breweries’ April anniversaries.
Over time, Mississippi Culture’s model has evolved in other ways as well. After Hutton acquired equipment from the former Recess Brewing years ago, the brewery added stainless-steel fermentation and expanded its range of styles. The brewery now balances its specialty mixed-culture beers with more accessible offerings such as Pearl Street, a Belgian-style blond ale that has become its top-selling beer.
“We still do the mixed-culture oak beers, but they’ve become more of a specialty,” Hutton says. “We also make beers that are a little more straightforward.”
Mississippi Culture is also exploring the addition of a kitchen and expanded food service as it continues building its role as a local gathering space.
The Community
Hutton recalls the brewery’s first anniversary. “When we made it a year and saw the turnout, it was like, OK, we’re really doing this,” he says. “We were absolutely packed—it felt like we were doing something right.”
While the brewery still draws travelers from across the region, Hutton says local customers have been key to its stability. “A big part of our success has been building a community in Staunton and having local regulars that support us,” he says.
Hutton says creating a gathering place in Staunton has been the brewery’s biggest success. “The thing I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built,” he says. “When people say they needed a place like this, that’s the biggest thing for me.”
