Red Clay Brewing Company is the first brewery to open in Opelika.
The local brewery opened at the beginning of March and has been successful since.
Owners John Corbin, Kerry McGinnis and Stephen Harle all have ties to the Auburn and Opelika area, and knew the need for a place like this in such a growing area.
Kerry McGinnis, co-owner and head brewer, said there were no roadblocks in establishing the first brewery in Opelika.
He said the only problem was people got tired of waiting because they were excited.
“Word really got out that we were coming, and people even back in October, were getting tired of waiting,” McGinnis said. “No one was surprised when we started promoting.”
Corbin said the Red Clay Brewing Company has been received extremely well.
“All of the locals that come in mention how its about time Opelika got a brewery,” Corbin said.
Harle, third co-owner, and head of the financial side of the company, said they have been well received.
“Everyone has been so excited and happy about our company,” Harle said.
Along with Red Clay being the first Opelika brewery, it is also a Southern brewery.
The name of the company, Red Clay Brewing Company, has its roots firmly entrenched in the South, according to their website.
All of the names of the five craft beers the Red Clay Brewing Company have created have their own Southern meaning to each one.
For example, Opelika is a Muskogee word meaning Big Swamp, and that is where they get the name for one of their first beers, “Big Swamp Stout.”
Katarina Hong, Red Clay Brewing Company intern and senior in public relations, said the three owners have made the first brewery in Opelika a success because of their community ties.
“They have ties to this place, and they really wanted to start the first brewery here, because they are so passionate about their craft beers,” Hong said.
Corbin said they sell to many area businesses.
“I honestly don’t know how many,” Corbin said. “The number adds up every day.”
Corbin mentioned Momma Goldberg’s Deli, specifically, as a place that likes the Red Clay Brewing Company’s craft beers.
McGinnis also said how well the Red Clay Brewing Company has been received.
“We get bar owners and restaurant owners in here all the time because people have been out requesting our beers so much, so that has really helped business,” McGinnis said.
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