Colson’s Golden Ale, an Origin Story
May 6, 2024
In the heart of Jones County, Mississippi, a region romantically described in 1841 by historian J.F.H. Claiborne as a “land of milk and honey” lies the town of Laurel. Located between Soso and Antioch and long before the HGTV fame of Home Town, the City of Laurel has been a center of entrepreneurial and creative activity since its founding as a lumber camp in 1882.
In 1893, Lauren Chase Eastman and George and Silas Gardiner came to Laurel from Clinton, Iowa to open a lumber mill that leveraged the most state-of-the-art technology at the time. With an abundance of yellow pine readily available, Eastman-Gardiner Lumber Company prospered putting Laurel on the map as the “Yellow Pine Capital of the World.”
In response to the challenging topography of the area, John Lindsey patented the Lindsey Eight-Wheeled Wagon in 1899. This revolutionary invention distributed the weight of the wagon and its contents more evenly to maneuver in and around the swamps of Laurel. The Lindsey Eight-Wheeled Wagon was so effective it was used by the Allies in World War I and later recognized for distinguished service by the United States of America War Department.
Byproducts of the burgeoning timber industry led engineer William H. Mason in the 1920s to invent Masonite, a hard-pressed board manufactured from wood chips and pulp waste. Masonite grew quickly into an international product becoming the gold standard for engineered woods. Its applications extend from building materials to the surface of guitar bodies.
Laurel is also the home of many recognizable stars of music and screen, most notably Metropolitan Opera singer Leontyne Price, Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd, Golden Globe nominee Parker Posey, Lance Bass of NSYNC, and Ray Watson, who famously portrayed Mr. Hand in Fast Times and Ridgemont High and challenged us all to consider the fascination with truancy and the phrase “I don’t know.”
It is from this Jones County entrepreneurial and creative spirit that Colsons Golden Ale derives its origin.
Laurel native and homebrewer, Jeff Hollingshead, set out to brew a lighter styled beer that could be enjoyed outdoors and on back porches. After many years of tweaking and refining the recipe under the watchful eye of his good friend, Doug Colson, it was only natural for Jeff to name this perfectly crisp and slightly citrusy ale after Doug.
Over the years, Jeff and Doug would playfully introduce Colsons to family, friends, and foes through blind taste tests at cookouts and other gatherings. Lined up against macro manufactured beers, Colsons would almost always win out appealing to beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike.
Soon, Jeff began entering Colsons into local and regional homebrew competitions winning award after award after award.
In 2018, Jeff decided to introduce Colsons to the public having it contract brewed and sold through wholesale distribution to bars and restaurants across Mississippi. Over the next few years, Colsons became a craft beer trend setter as a shift began to emerge in the industry, one that saw lighter and crispier lagers and ales develop under the craft umbrella.
Over time, it became increasingly important for Colsons to find a permanent home instead of being dependent on the capacity of contract brewing partners. Over the course of few beers, Jeff and the founders of Fertile Ground Beer Co. struck a deal whereby Fertile Ground acquired the Colsons brand and found its home in Jackson.
With a slight modification to the recipe and a package redesign, Colsons Golden Ale has become common ground, a crisp refreshingly clean beer enjoyed by craft beer aficionados and macro beer fans alike, a beer that is meant to be celebrated outdoors.