Red Clay Brewing Company started out as a homemade hobby. Now, it will be Auburn and Opelika's sole beer manufacturer.
Kerry McGinnis and John Corbin have been home-brewing beers for years. McGinnis' father brewed his whole life, and McGinnis found a brewing partner in his brother-in-law. McGinnis and Corbin have been brewing together for approximately five years. After traveling around the country, visiting breweries and wineries, the two became "alco-tourists." Stephen Harle, an Ole Miss graduate and Opelika native, also joined the two.
They decided it was time to bring the different beers of America to Auburn and Opelika.
"This area doesn't have a local beer or even a local beer supplier," McGinnis said. "I think a lot of the commercialized beers out there are just mass produced junk. We want to bring back a local beer and identify with people here."
Red Clay Brewing Company will be in the newly renovated Lebanon Art District, which consists of two blocks of converted warehouses that date back to the 1800's.
"They're old cotton warehouses in Opelika that we're converting into an art district where different businesses, such as coffee shops and music venues can open Chandler Jones, who has been working to develop the Lebanon Arts District, said.
McGinnis and Corbin are just beginning to raise money, and Jones said they have multiple investors who believe in the company. Red Clay Brewing Company is projected to open in the next four to eight months.
McGinnis is a senior in biosystems engineering, and Corbin graduated last year in hotel restaurant management.
They have been working on a few beers, such as a scotch ale, a stout, an IPA and their own cider. Until their brewery opens, they will continue brewing at home.
In Alabama, there are a few brew pubs scattered around the state, which serve food with local beer and some of the brewery's beer. McGinnis and Corbin want to be a brewery that only serves beer manufactured at their brewery.
There will be a tap room in the brewery with 10 different taps so people can sample the beer.
"We're going to have a huge chalk board wall where people can come in and write down their thoughts and ideas that they have on the beer," McGinnis said. "That's going to be our data collection."
Corbin is excited about the beers they have already planned on releasing.
"Each beer is based on the south and specific places in Alabama," Corbin said. "That way people can relate to their local beer."
Their Rye IPA has tons of hops, and the rye adds a certain amount of spice to it. Although it is a California style IPA, it will be called Hop Jubilee.
The brewery will also feature a Saison, a french Belgium farmhouse beer. It is a lighter beer with a peppercorn flavor. It will be called Woodshed Saison, after all the different backroad woodsheds Alabama has.
Their Oatmeal Stout, Big Swamp Stout, refers to the Native American Name Opelika, which means "big swamp."
Red Clay set a goal to exclusively feature their own manufactured beer and become the region's choice of beer. They are bringing experience from all over the country to create a signature flavor for the area.
Editor's Note: A correction was made indicating McGinnis and Corbin are both partners in the company. Also, Red Clay was not the first brewery in the area. We apologize for this mistake.
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