What’s Hoppin’?

The Growler is located at 265 N. Lamar Blvd. on the historic downtown square in Oxford, Miss. They have a selection of over 30 craft brews. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

The Mississippi craft beer culture continues to expand. Beer enthusiasts in Oxford as well as across the state can consume numerous craft beers as they pour into the magnolia state.

The Mississippi Legislature passed the craft beer bill, which legalized craft brews that are 8 percent alcohol by weight or 10 percent by volume. This bill went into effect on July 1, 2012. Now restaurants and bars can provide a wider variety of brews that can be consumed in multiple ways.

“ We see craft beer almost like coffee at Starbucks,” said Anthony Bond, owner of The Growler.

The Growler opened on Sept. 4, 2014 and is located on the historic downtown square in Oxford, Miss. Guests are able to consume beer in glasses onsite or they have the option to purchase a growler to go. A growler is a glass or stainless steel jug that holds half a gallon of beer. Once opened, growlers usually have a shelf life of two to three days, but it sealed a growler can last up to seven days.

A growler is a glass jug that holds half a gallon of beer. Once opened, growlers usually have a shelf life of two to three days. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

For those who are not beer connoisseurs, The Growler offers flights. These flights are four eight-ounce pours incased in a rustic sampler. Instead of committing to a specific pour, guests are encouraged to try more than one beer to see what fits their taste.

The city of Oxford requires The Growler to have both a beer and liquor while closely monitoring the distribution of the beer.

“All beer companies doing business in Mississippi whether they are in-state breweries or out-of-state breweries, send their beer to one of three distributors,” said Krisi Allen, general manager of The Growler.

One of the distributors is located in Senatobia, Miss., which is responsible for distributing to The Growler. The Growler works with each of the three distributes to receive their inventory of beer. All three distributorships have a different set of brewery contracts, none that overlap.

The Growler caters to the Mississippi brewing companies, but also looks outside the magnolia state to serve brews that consumers will enjoy.

“We made a commitment to carry all local brewery beers and beyond that we are looking for one off beers,” said Bond. “We order small barrel special brews … [and] fuse our beer with items such as sour patch kids to make a good beer great.”

Wednesday nights are referred to as infusions nights at The Growler. They do an infusion process where you can add anything to the beer you have and change the flavor. This past Wednesday they fuse their beer with items such as oranges, hops and red peppers.

Wednesday nights are infusion nights at The Growler. A beer from the Rogue brewing company was mixed with oranges, hops and red peppers. Courtesy of The Growler.

“We are constantly trying to give are customers what they are looking for,” said Allen.

In addition to catering the Mississippi brewing companies, The Growler also focuses on ordering small barrel special brews. Since The Growler has opened they have sold 1,059 pints of SweetWater Blue, a brewing company based out of Atlanta, Ga.

“ Our best seller since we opened has been the SweetWater Blue. It is a good transition beer for people who do not care about hoppy or stout beer … it appeals to the main stream beer drinker,” said Allen.

Besides offering 30 craft beers, The Growler caters to a diverse audience. According to Allen, a lot of Ole Miss graduate students and professors visit The Growler as well as the Sunday church crowd.

“We actually have priests, lawyers and Game of Thrones groups that congregate in Oxford since the atmosphere is more like a Starbucks than a bar,” said Bond.

Customers at The Growler play a game of rummy while they enjoy their beer and pretzels. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

“ I enjoy going to The Growler because I feel like it caters towards a different audience that you do not find out at the bars,” said Amanda Gross, a senior at the University of Mississippi.

“If I come to The Growler around five in the afternoon in the middle of the week, I will see people reading or playing cards or even coming in to get their growler filled.”

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The New Moon

Terry Moon works at City Grocery, located on the downtown historic Square in Oxford, Miss. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

Terry Moon’s life was forever changed on July 16, 1997. Moon woke up from a nap to find his mother lying dead on the floor.

“After my mother died, I started getting loopy and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder,” said Moon.

Moon was raised by a middle class family in Lorain, Ohio. At the age of seven, Moon was diagnosed with a heart condition and underwent open-heart surgery. This was just the beginning of health risks Moon would encounter.

While a freshman in high school, Moon was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. After losing his hair during chemotherapy, Moon started wearing wigs to school.

In his senior year of high school Moon decided to cross dress for the first time on Halloween. Later that year, Moon’s brother saw him walking inside a gay bar in Lorain. Moon said he denied all accusations until an argument erupted between him and his brother Tom.

At the age of 23, Moon participated in his first pageant, Miss Gay Cleveland Ohio. After three attempts, Moon won the title as Miss Gay Cleveland in 1989 at the age of 26.

Terry Moon performing on stage at a drag show in Cleveland, Ohio. Courtesy of Terry Moon.

“When I would cross dress, everyone told me I look just like Brooke Shields,” said Moon.

For Moon coming out was not an easy task.

“I never told my father I was gay, I think he new, but I never told him,” said Moon. “I didn’t go out of my way to tell people I was gay. I’m not going to take my gay flag and run down the street.”

After receiving the title as Miss Gay Cleveland, Moon did not care for the popularity or publicity. According to Moon, the final straw was when he was shopping out in public and people would scream his stage name, Ashley Brooks.

“The popularity is why I left Cleveland, I loved the attention, but I enjoyed the illusion of doing it and then getting out of it and being myself,” said Moon. “It was not the type of attention I was seeking.”

Following the pageant, Moon decided he wanted to be closer to his mother and relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. Moon worked at TGI Fridays and then The Cheesecake Factory, where he was awarded employee of the month after his first month of service.

Following the death of his mother, Moon came to visit his brother Tom in Greenville, Miss. The death of his mother had a strong impact on Moon.

“When I found her on the ground, it was like the end of my world,” said Moon.

At that time Moon came to visit his brother who was trying to get a job transfer to Oxford, Miss.

“I’ll never forget when I came to visit Oxford on July 13, 2000,” said Moon. “loved the laid back environment of this place.”

Moon planned on living in Oxford for a year until he realized how comfortable he would become in the small, quaint town.

“I came to Oxford because I loved the people”, said Moon. “When I visited Las Vegas, I didn’t care for the fast paced environment. The town and people of Oxford were much more attractive.”

Once Moon moved to Oxford he was hired as assistant manager at City Grocery. Moon also worked for other local restaurants such as Lenora’s, Prime Steakhouse and 208 South Lamar Restaurant.

While living in Oxford, Moon continued to encounter health complications. In 2006 Moon had open-heart surgery for the second time. The congestive heart failure required Moon to have plastic valves placed in his heart. The surgery had Moon in the hospital for 23 days.

“ I don’t remember the first 10 days while I was in the hospital,” said Moon. “I thought no one came to visit me.”

Doctors told Moon he was going to be on disability as well as oxygen. However, Moon was adamant that he was not going to let this surgery dictate and control the rest of this life. While in the hospital doctors changed Moon’s medication, which helped Moon leave the hospital without oxygen.

“Every day I would wake up feeling better and better,” said Moon. “ I decided to quite smoking and man, I felt like a 23 year-old again. When I returned back to work at City Grocery my co workers would be like ‘Terry keep it down.’”

At the age of 51, Moon continues to work full time at City Grocery and shows no signs of slowing down.

“I don’t want another job,” said Moon. “They take care of me here.”

Moon is well respected among the staff at City Grocery. The mangers and servers at City Grocery appreciate all of the hard work Moon provides.

“Terry contributes in many ways,” said Locke Phillips, a manager at City Grocery. “He has been with us quite a while and knows the way we want things done. He has tons of restaurant experience and has cultivated many lasting relationships within the community. Those relationships and experiences are just a couple things that make him an asset to our restaurant family.”

When Moon is not working he enjoys relaxing and keeping up with shows like Survivor and American Idol.

“ I enjoy being home,” said Moon. “Think about it, I work in the social industry. I talk to people everyday, so sometimes I just like to be at home alone. Every time I’m at work I am talking to someone.”

As for now, Moon’s drag days are over.

“I’m done doing drag at the moment,” said Moon. “But you never know Ashley Brooks could come back for a night.”

You may also view this story on Medium.

Ole Miss Community Reacts to the Non-Renewal of Dan Jones’ Contract

Friday afternoon, the Ole Miss Alumni Association released a statement that they would not extend the contract of Ole Miss Chancellor, Dan Jones. This unexpected news has created controversy throughout out the Ole Miss community. A storify has been created to monitor the recent controversy.

Oxford Craft Beer Festival

The Oxford Craft Beer Festival was held Feb. 28 at the Library Sports Bar on the historic downtown Oxford Square. Photo by Nancy Hogan. 

This past Saturday, beer enthusiasts from around Mississippi were encouraged to put on their pretzel necklaces and come to an event full of beer samples and food prepared by local Oxford chefs. The Library Sports Bar hosted the annual Oxford Craft Beer Festival that featured over 140 craft beers from around the country. For the foodies in attendance, a food show was held on the outside patio for VIP guests. The entire festival took place from noon to 4 p.m.

Guests for the event were encouraged to purchase tickets for the festival beforehand through the website, or at the door on the day of the event. General admission tickets, which were sold for $45, gave participants access to the beer samples, while the purchase of a VIP ticket allowed guest to enjoy food samples from local Oxford chefs. Additionally, VIP ticketholders were given free parking and the option of attending the festival an hour earlier than general admission ticketholders. Festival attendants also had the option of purchasing a designated driver ticket at a lower cost than the other two options.

Beer enthusiasts filled the Library Sports Bar to sample over 140 craft brews. The festival was held from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 28. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

At the food show, VIP participants had the opportunity to taste appetizers, entrées and desserts specially prepared by local chefs. Each plate was paired with one of the 140-featured beers for guests to enjoy and explore.

This year, the festival featured many changes as compared to the events in year’s prior. First, the festival changed venues from Colonel’s Quarters at Castle Hill Resort to the Library Sports Bar located on the historic Oxford Square. This is a more accommodating measure for guests because it is closer to town and more accessible. Another difference between this year’s festival and lasts is that the event was held in February as opposed to April. Lastly, there was a change in ownership for the Oxford Craft Beer Festival this year, which could play a large factor in the other changes made this year.

This year’s festival attracted new breweries for the event. A few notable additions to this years brewery list were: Sweetwater Brewing Company of Atlanta, Ga., Wiseacre Brewing Company of Memphis, Tenn. and Abita Brewing Company of Abita Springs, La.

One of the more popular breweries this year was the Crown Valley Brewing and Distilling Company out of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Crown Valley’s Strawberry Cider served as a popular choice for festival participants. Other popular selections were Wiseacre Brewing Company, Sweetwater Brewing Company, Yazoo Brewing Company and Abita Brewing Company.

Breweries received a designated station where volunteers and brewery representatives poured beer samples for festival participants. Photo by Nancy Hogan.

Throughout the festival, Silas Reed ‘N’ Da Books performed live music for guests to take a break from trying samples and head out to the dance floor for some more enjoyment. In addition to the music, a contest was held for participants with the best pretzel necklace halfway through the festival. The winners of the contest won gift certificates to Buffalo Wild Wings or Office Depot and both winners received an Oxford Craft Beer Festival t-shirt.

The breweries, volunteers and festival participants helped make the festival a success. Music also contributed to the upbeat environment.

“Of course, the local beer connoisseurs who come out are the real reason the event succeeds,” said DeWayne Moore, the event manager.

This year was one participant’s first time attending the Oxford Craft Beer Festival. Matthew Staub, an Ole Miss student, received a ticket to attend as part of his birthday present from a friend.

“I loved the live music, great food vendors and the great beer,” said Staub.

The Assistant to the Director, Chandra Williams, who has been with the festival for three years, gave some insight about her experience at the festival as well.

“I enjoyed the indoor setting at the Library Bar and Grill this year. It was intimate, a big party with endless beer,” said Williams.

She also touched on ideas for changes in the festival for next year by saying, “I would get more and more people out to the festival because it’s a great time and a good community.”

VIP ticket holders were able to enjoy food prepared by local chefs on the Library Sport Bar’s patio. Photo by Nancy Hogan. 

Staub made the suggestion that “the festival would have a larger attendance if the admission price wasn’t so high.”

Another contribution to the festival’s success was the volunteers. “We had good volunteers this year that made it so much more smooth than last year,” said Moore. Volunteers poured beer samples in addition to preparing and packing up the festival.

“I chose to volunteer at the beer fest because I have an interest in craft brews,” said Alden Elliot, an Ole Miss senior.

This was Elliot’s first year volunteering for the Oxford Craft Beer Festival. Elliot volunteered as a beer sample pourer for the Abita Brewing Company. “It was fun to interact with other people who have an interest in craft beer and learn what they have to say about their favorite beers. Volunteering for the beer festival is fun and upbeat. There was never a dull moment,” said Elliot.

Storify.

Timeline

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