Linger Lead: A Lager Inspired by an Honest Tune
At Fertile Ground, beer and music are deeply intertwined. They’re both crafted, shared, and best experienced in the moment. So when we brewed a clean, intentional, and quietly expressive lager, it made sense to name it after a line from a song, and a guitarist, that’s carried more than a few of us through the years.
“An honest tune with a lingering lead has taken me this far.”
– Driving Song, Widespread Panic
Linger Lead is our tribute to that lyric, to Mikey Houser, and to the kind of music, and beer, that doesn’t shout, but resonates.
A Song in a Glass
Widespread Panic’s Driving Song is a slow burn, reflective, hypnotic, emotionally steady. That same feeling inspired Linger Lead, our crisp, no-frills lager with a clean malt base and just enough hop bitterness to bring it home.
There’s nothing overdone about it. No gimmicks. No haze. Just balance, clarity, and intention. It’s a beer that lets the small decisions, the water chemistry, the fermentation profile, the gentle touch of noble hops, speak clearly.
Like Mikey’s guitar work, it’s understated but unforgettable. The kind of beer that becomes part of the background, until suddenly you realize how good it feels to sit with it.
A Nod to Mikey
Mikey Houser, Widespread Panic’s original guitarist and founding member, had a sound all his own. Loose but deliberate. Quiet but commanding. He was never trying to be the loudest or the flashiest, he just wanted to serve the song.
That’s what we aim to do with this beer.
We’re not reinventing the lager. We’re respecting it, refining it, and pouring it with pride. It’s our way of channeling that same commitment to craft, that same musical humility, into something cold and drinkable.
Where It Leads
Linger Lead is always on tap in our Jackson taproom, and available in cans across Mississippi and beyond. Whether you’re discovering Widespread Panic for the first time or have seen a hundred shows, this beer was made with that same spirit: steady, honest, and meant to be shared.
So crack a Linger Lead. Put on Driving Song. And let the tune, and the beer, take you just a little further down the road.