BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — After an announcement at the beginning of 2026 that Red Clay Brewing Company would be closing and taking the first three months of the year to sell stocked brews, the community expressed excitement online after Chris Hutchison announced he had purchased the brewery and would work to ensure Red Clay Brewing Company remains a local staple.
“[My fiancé Kandayce Ross and I] bought our forever home here in Opelika just over a year ago, and set roots here. We’ve got two kids, [one is] 11 years old, and the other is two, and we don’t plan on going anywhere,” Hutchison said. “It worked out that when the old owners were looking to transition to do something else and focus on their other business ventures, it was the right place, right time for me — and I was able to purchase it. It’s been a staple in the community for over a decade, and when people learned that it was going to be closing down — before they realized that I was going to keep it open — everybody was pretty sad, pretty depressed about it. And everyone was really excited when they found out I was going to keep it open.”
Hutchison said his goal in purchasing the brewery is to keep the same great brews that customers have loved for over a decade, while refreshing Red Clay Brewing Company to invite more families and community camaraderie into the space — and his fiancé Kandayce Ross said she agrees.
“It’s going to stay Red Clay Brewing Company,” Hutchison said. “I have that passion for the community, and I want to go and sit and talk to people while working or on the other side of the bar. And for me, I want to really focus on more of the local and get really involved with the other businesses and the different events that are going on. Opelika is really good about trying to do events throughout the year, and we’re going to try to do some more here personally. The location is good; we love the downtown area here — even when we were living in Auburn, we still came over here as a family because it’s a little bit more family-friendly. Of course, I had to keep Craig here, he’s been here the whole time it’s been open, so he is the mastermind behind the delicious beer.”
“We moved here because we really wanted to live in Opelika with our kids, and we needed something a little bit bigger,” Ross said. “We always came to Red Clay and would hang out with our kids and our new baby, and it was just a family-oriented place — you don’t go to many places like that. And when we found out it was closing, I said, ‘Oh, no, it’s not. No, we’ve got to do something.’ So it’s just somewhere fun for us to hang out. And I think it’s gonna be really cool to create something new and fun and for everybody to be able to hang out.”
Head Brewer Craig Collins said he is excited to continue working at Red Clay Brewing Company and is glad the brewery was purchased by a friend who wants to continue to encourage community fellowship.
“A brewery is more than just beer and more than just about food — it’s about community,” he said. “Netflix is a problem — you go home, watch Netflix, binge-watch all these shows, but I think people are social people, and the community needs places like Red Clay to go out and have that interaction with people. It’s a key to the health of a society for that to occur. Going home to watch Netflix for eight hours is not generally that healthy — in fact, it’s probably healthier to go out and have a couple of drinks than to go home and watch Netflix.”
Hutchison said as he works to reopen Red Clay, he is adding some variety to the menu while maintaining the same craft beers customers return for week after week, along with brightening up the space to welcome all.
“We’re gonna add some stuff to the food menu, and we’re going to work our way towards becoming more of a brew pub, that’s kind of the big goal,” he said. “We want to still get Craig to craft those beers that have been here for over a decade that people drive from Columbus, Montgomery, Birmingham and even out of state, because they say, ‘I got to come get that Mackenzie Scotch Ale,’ or ‘I’ve got to come get the RCB IPA.’ We’re going to have a core of our Red Clay beers, but then hopefully we will be able to bring in a little bit more variety, which adds a really unique flavor profile of beer.
“We’re still going to have what we’ve had, it’s just gonna be a slightly different variation. For the tap room, we just needed a little brightness inside, a little bit more homey vibe. We’ve added some couches, greenery, plants, redid the tables and added a little color. I think just that little revamp, freshness is going to make it look like a totally new place, while still being Red Clay.”
Hutchison said Red Clay will host a Grand Opening Celebration on Friday, March 13, from 4 to 10 p.m., with line dancing and a raffle for those who join in the fun. As Red Clay begins to hold more community events and fun for customers, Hutchison said locals can look forward to trivia nights and a Saint Patrick’s Party on Tuesday, March 17, from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.redclaybrewingcompany.com, Red Clay Brewing Company on Facebook or visit Red Clay at 704 N Railroad Ave, Opelika.
“I wouldn’t have invested the time and money in this place if I didn’t believe in it, if I didn’t believe in Opelika and the surrounding community as well,” he said. “I think Kandayce and I are just incredibly honored to keep Red Clay alive. We’re excited for the opportunity, and we feel pretty blessed that we were able to do it at the right time. Things really worked out for us to be able to continue to kind of keep on building on what they had already built.”
