Red Clay Brewing is an Alabama Maker with deep Southern roots

The words “red clay” evoke images of the South. Whether you’ve played in it, been stuck in it or just fancied it while driving down some Alabama backroad, it fits in here like sweet tea and barbecue.

So, when John Corbin and Kerry McGinnis set out to open a brewery in downtown Opelika a few years ago, the brothers-in-law knew they wanted a name that was decidedly Southern.

Red Clay Brewing Company opened around the same time as John Emerald Distilling and helped ignite downtown Opelika with a string of new businesses that have followed.

“We wanted something that was Southern but when you heard it they definitely knew you were from the South and that’s why we decided to name it Red Clay,” Corbin said.

With about 50 beers created, Red Clay has 17 on a rotation. The styles are a mix of traditional brews of a wider spectrum, including sours, stouts and Hefeweizen. In addition to beer, Red Clay offers its house ciders and wines.

“This, Red Clay, we wanted this to be the traditional pub, in a sense of a place where people can come and gather,” Corbin said.

Red Clay Brewing Company
The Makers: John Corbin and Kerry McGinnis
The product: Craft beer with special seasonal offerings.
Take home: A growler of Southern Bumpkin.

Red Clay Brewing Company can be found online, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)