Culture x Craft

Behind the making of Magic Hour, the 2021 Reserve

The life and art of Walter Anderson are intimately connected to the islands off the coast of Mississippi. While many know of his affinity for Horn Island, it was the Chandeleur Islands that first captured his imagination when he began making regular trips in the 1940s. Chandeleur was home to a pelican rookery, a bounty of fish and estuarine life, and spectacular sunsets far away from the daily grind of the mainland. Like Anderson's skiff that he rowed to the islands, a beer from Chandeleur Island Brewing Company can help you escape the ordinary.

“I reached the point of Chandeleur just at sunset...

The wind went down and the moon went down, and the stars were reflected in the phosphorescent water. I splashed in the water with my hand, and it was like an explosion of small stars.”

– WALTER INGLIS ANDERSON

Our partnership with Chandeleur Island Brewing Company pays homage to this legacy and to the Gulf South creativity that encompasses art in all its forms. For the past several years, we've teamed up to merge Anderson's art with craft beer ingenuity. And like Anderson's island watercolors – which he made in an effort capture the beauty of the fleeting moment – these specialty Chandeleur beers are only available for a brief instant. If you're lucky enough to snag one of these limited-edition reserves, you'll be able to taste the bold experimentation that unites the Gulf Coast's artistic and entrepreneurial trailblazers.

"This collaboration ... is great for the community, it's great for Chandeleur, but at the end of the days, it's just cool."

– KATIE BAIMBRIDGE

Head Brewer, Chandeleur Island Brewing Co.