A New Brew

Nestled in the heart of the 106-year-old house home to the Keg and Barrel bar lies something unique to Mississippi—a brewery.

The Keg and Barrel is no stranger to offering many different varieties of beer to its clientele.  The brew pub offers close to 105 different beers (60 of which are on tap) at any given time.

"When I discovered craft beer in the late ‘90s, I became passionate about it…to be successful you have to be passionate," said John Neil, owner of the Keg and Barrel.

Neil's passion has kept him continuously searching for new ways to refine the palates of Hattiesburg's beer-drinking population — and Southern Prohibition Brewing Co. came to fruition in 2009.

Over the past year, the Keg and Barrel's Brewer, Sam Sorrells, has offered his home-brewed flavors such as Captain Hardy Stout, Smoked Porter Ajeezie and One Hop Pale Ale to the masses, transforming the Keg and Barrel into Mississippi's only currently functioning brew pub.

According to Sorrels, the Keg and Barrel is also the smallest brewery by square footage in the nation.  Totaling 105 square feet, the brewery has the capacity to brew 520 gallons of beer in 10 different styles yearly.

"The key is small scale," Sorrells said, "If we were larger, we would not be able to host the number of beers on the wall (that we currently do)"