Mississippi craft beer has been in the spotlight a lot recently, and with good reason. Recently, the passing of House Bill 1322 permits Magnolia State breweries to sell beer they make at their sites and numerous breweries have been popping up all over the state in recent years. For all intents and purposes, the beer business in Mississippi is booming.

On Friday, March 24 and Saturday the 25th, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council will be hosting Miss-I-Sippin’, an event that celebrates Mississippi beers and local cuisine.

The first night’s events will feature a multi-course Brewer’s Dinner from Sinfully Southern’s Dwayne Ingraham paired with in-state beers. Also on Friday, Yalobusha Brewery in Water Valley will be having open tours and tastings at their facility.

As far as the menu, which features crawfish pies and a smothered pork loin, Ingraham says that it was based on his childhood in Boothville, Louisiana.

“What I thought about was giving little bites of things that I grew up eating,” the chef said. “We always had crawfish and as I got older, I got to enjoy cold beer with that. The chicken and sausage combo as well as the banana pudding are also things that I grew up eating.”

The following day will be a community crawl around Oxford starting at noon with stops at Gus’s Fried Chicken, The Growler, High Point Coffee and Jackson Beer Co. Beginning at 3 p.m., a tasting pavilion will be open at the Old Armory Pavilion on University Avenue with live music, beer, a chicken wing eating contest and family friendly games.

The event is $30 for just Saturday’s festivities or $80 for both days. For YAC members, Saturday is $25 and both days are $70. Tickets are available at sippin.oxfordarts.com.