Auburn University program, local business celebrate collaboration with event Friday

The Brewing Science and Operations program at Auburn University has expanded its relationship with Red Clay Brewing Co., in Opelika.

Bruce Smith, professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and an instructor in the graduate certificate program, said the recipe for a dark amber beer, named Auburn Sunset Amber, was developed by Auburn researchers and initially brewed in an Auburn lab. By collaborating with Red Clay, it could be brewed on a large scale for public consumption.

Auburn's graduate certificate program and Red Clay have had a working relationship since the program was first offered in the fall of 2014. Students could complete the program's practicum requirement at any brewery, including at the Opelika-based brewery, which opened in early 2015.

When Auburn instructors met with Red Clay owners John Corbin and Kerry McGinnis to consider how to grow the partnership, all agreed brewing a beer together was a logical step.

Red Clay, 704 N. Railroad Ave., is hosting an event to celebrate the collaboration and production, starting at 7 p.m., Friday, April 29. Corbin and McGinnis have agreed to donate a portion of the night's proceeds to the Brewing Science and Operations program.

The Auburn program is offered through the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Management in the College of Human Sciences, and involves the colleges of veterinary medicine, business and agriculture, the Alabama craft brewing sector and Oskar Blues Brewery of Longmont, Colorado.

Last summer, 15 students became the first class to earn graduate certificates in the program. The second class will finish this summer.