Mississippi Culture's top-shelf service involves growing culture within their recipe and amongst the community

By AUSTIN GRABOW/

STAR-TIMES

During COVID-19, the underlying truth was that businesses struggled to make ends-meet. Clearly, not all businesses struggled but there weren’t many jumping up and down eager to purchase real estate. In addition, initiating the process of renovating and remodeling a building with a questionable future in what society may be like after the pandemic, is undoubtedly impressive. The Star-Times got a chance to sit down with the Co-Owner, Manager, bartender and head brewer, Tracy Hutton, of Mississippi Culture. Inevitably, to get a sense of what a small, corner bar and brewery bearing “Mississippi” within its name, provides to a city in southern Illinois such as Staunton. Simply put, it’s all in the culture.

The entire family is involved in this business. Bruce Hutton and his wife Penny, are the parents to Tracy. His father and other Co-Owner of the business. Doing contracting work for a career serviced him and his son well when their current location stumbled upon them while shopping for real estate to open up their own brewery. Calie is Tracy’s wife and she is also very involved within the business. It’s all hands on deck for this family but when it came down to brass tax, Tracy said, “Bruce was never a drinker and was more involved in the construction while I handled beer.”

Tracy got his start at Recess brewing in Ewardsville in 2016, where he became the head brewer, helped manage and run the establishment, on top of learning how to finance while there. He also met his mentor there, Matt Flach, who is the head brewer and owner for a brewery in S.C. Tracy loved and was invested with interest in learning, and the owner gave him the keys in developing a niche for this type of working lifestyle. Tracy and his father purchased their current location of 201 S. Union St., within Staunton in Jan. of 2020 and didn’t open until April 20, 2023. The original business plan was to distribute beer, and not to open a bar but just as the pandemic changed, they did as well. They had no ties to Staunton, but happened to come across the real estate building and felt the need to open a bar due to the beautiful location. Covid gave them time to remodel and then they focused on the beer and the brewing. Tracy’s brew focuses on belgian style beer, all inspired saison type of beer. A very hard style because it can be so broad, but it leaves room for options within that style. The goal is to always have new stuff coming out and developing recipes comes from experience.

Growing up in Quincy, Tracy and his family lived their whole life around or within an hour of the Mississippi River and he wanted the feel to mimic the same style of hearty culture, blue-collar, and to take whatever’s there and make it look pretty. Culture is another word for yeast in the brewery world. Culture doesn’t affect just humans: broadly, culture is something that can be created, developed, grown, and possibly even changed over time. In comparison, Tracy created and developed his own beer recipe and culture, while at the same time, he was instilling the very culture and work ethic that he feels the Mississippi River provides. Essentially, to embody the mindset of a family tradition and tying it all in with the beer is a recipe for Mississippi Culture. Like their beer recipes, the community should be excited for the growth of this business and be proud of hidden gem amongst Staunton’s community.

They are a member of the Chamber of Commerce, they do Nights for Veterans, Toys-for-Tots, Adopt-A-Pet, and for Tour de Donut, after making some phone calls Tracy said, they had their own afterparty after the event, and are willing and looking to do anything for the community and want to give back in anyway they can. When asked what the biggest challenge is, Tracy answered with, "being responsible for all that entails from owning a business and bar, as well as managing expectations vs. what reality can offer. His goal for 2024 is to focus on the beer and to focus on distribution.