Red Clay Ciderworks

My momma LOVES hard cider and this place has a great selection. She always gets the sampler so she can try the new flavors rather than committing to one. (Fortunately, she didn’t have the same approach to pet adoption!)
Best of all, four-​legged creatures are allowed. So my momma & daddy & I all got to celebrate New Year’s Eve together. They always have a bowl with packages of chips or pretzels so the humans don’t drink on an empty stomach and end up on the floor with us pups.
Thoughtfully, there is also a container of really yummy treats courtesy of Canine Café. They were so good, I wanted them all. Instead, my momma gave me a few and then bought me my own bag (peanut butter flavored) from the Café a few days later.
Most of the times we’ve gone there has also been a food truck in the parking lot so we’ve been able to try those out. (Yes, I always get a taste, it’s part of the deal I have with my parents.)
The other dogs and people have always been nice and welcoming. The place is laid back and comfortable. This has become a regular spot for us.

I wish that I had more time to spend here during this most recent visit, next time this will be stop number one for my day drinking adventure.
Chill spot with delicious ciders, I loved the Nor’ Easter and Cherry Bobbin’ Trolls! They were the perfect balance for my taste buds. Boyfriend ordered and loved the Hot Mulled Cider which was served in a mug with a cinnamon sugared rim, yums.
I can’t wait to return to Red Clay Ciderworks!

With all the great things happening in craft beer in Charlotte, it was only a matter of time that the city gets its first craft cider place. I know beer is not for everyone (more for me!) but it seems like craft cider lovers may be «more hardcore» than beer drinkers since the alcohol content in cider can be equal, if not higher, than craft beers. The thing is cider for me is pretty dangerous… I put it in the wine category for me since you can be drinking and having a good time, and then BAM you wake up the next day not knowing what happened in the last 8hrs of your life.
Aside from my low tolerance, let’s talk about Red Clay. Located off of Clanton Rd, there is plenty of parking, but also convenient to the Scaleybark Lynx Station… and also an Über ride away. Just make sure someone else drives you if you partake in a lot since these can catch up with you pretty fast.
I had a flight of their offerings and it was all great. They are also offering other ciders from different craft cider places — Bull City Ciders is one example. They also have some local craft beer here on tap — so there is something for everyone.
The tasting room has an array of tables, couches, and a nice bar to sit at. A couple of tvs on the wall… and a functioning mini shuffleboard table! Behind the bar, there’s a nice huge window to see where the magic happens. Really cool, relaxed vibe to the place. The servers were super nice and patient with newbies like me who couldn’t decide on what to get.
There happened to be a food truck outside for food that evening that I went. I’m sure they will have a rotating selection of trucks/​food that you can have here.
Overall another cool place to visit if you find yourself in SouthEnd.

If you love all things cider, this is the place to be! The selection is always changing and never fails! Don’t worry. they have beer here too! I suggest getting a flight for first timers! The cherry cider is my favorite!

I really loved this place! I am a big cider fan but don’t like it when it gets too sweet. Red Clay had a lot of choices in that regards, as well as some for those who like it sweeter. The staff was one of the friendliest I’ve experienced and I love the picnic table type seating. The cherry cider was surprisingly my favorite as I liked the tartness it had. They also have many other local brews on tap for those who may not want cider. I also love how they usually have a special mix going on. Like cider mixed with a local beer etc. All in all a really cool spot to hangout with some friends and have a good cider! I’ll definitely be back soon :)
PS you can bring food with you! A couple came in and sat next to us and brought Zac’s Burgers… needless to say when we left we totally stopped at Zac’s!

What a great place to grab some Cider or a beer. One of the newer breweries in town. Lovely people working here. My wife and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer time. Food trucks are on a rotation here so check their website for who going to be there. Oh! And the cider is great! They also carry a couple of different local beers for a little variety. Great spot.

I don’t get the love affair with Red Clay. Love that there is a cider spot in Charlotte but their ciders left much to be desired. There was nothing on the taster tray that struck my fancy. Try it for yourself but I think I’ll be sticking to beer.

Super, super noisy. It’s a stand-​up kind of place for the most part. Limited seating and plenty of groups of people creating their own little klatch of clamor that you have to wend your way through to the bar.
A little confusing about where to walk up and order even though it’s a long bar. I guess that’s it… it’s a long bar that extends to the entry and you have to figure out how to get in and out. It’s also interesting to see how as your trying to get to the bar and order how the people that have staked their standing space really get an attitude about you trying to get in.
I’d almost like to see wait service available even if you are a standing group.
Food truck on tap as well as the great assortment of ciders. They also have a water station set up which is a nice touch.
I’m not sure if they do this or not, but I’d love to just get a couple of growlers of cider and be able to take it away from the bedlam and really relax and enjoy.
Parking is ok but limited. I’d carpool if you’re going to get together with friends.

So… a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a fan of Hornsby’s Cider… that is, until I started my love affair with craft beer. The number of 5 star Unilocal reviews (Jeff S included) encouraged me to get off my butt and give this place a try. I was not prepared to have my mind blown like I did.
Red Clay Cider Works has a really «tight», uniformly themed, streamlined tap room; it just feels warm, comfy and cohesive. You feel like you’ve just come off the hiking trail up in the mountains and stopped in a «cabin like» bar. Love the boot print logo, which is even carried through to the cider flight carriers.
During my visit, RCC had 4 different ciders on tap, along with a couple of local beers and wine offerings. From the moment the Cherry Bobbin’ Trolls (Sour Cherry Cider) hit my taste buds, I was won over. A slight sweetness, the perfect amount of tart and a nice crisp finish. Damn this stuff is good! The South End Sweet was very tasty but a bit heavy if you’re going to have more than one glass.
I have learned my lesson and will no longer hold the belief that cider is just an alternative for people who don’t like beer or wine. The cider these guys make can definitely stand on its own!
The parking lot can get pretty jammed up, so carpool if you can!

Finally dropped into this place and was pleasantly pleased. Flights of excellent cider varieties all made here and served on locally carved wooden boards in the shape of a boot print. They also have locally made cold nitro coffee, ginger beer, and uncle Scott’s root beer that I love so much. By the way fellas, women love cider so expect to see groups of women here. As of this minute I’d say it’s ⁶⁰⁄₄₀ in favor of the lovely ladies. I’ll be back soon! These people know how to make a killer cider.

We recently went here on a Friday night and really enjoyed it. We got a flight and I can’t lie — I don’t even remember what I got but liked all four. I also had a blend called Brown Cherry something or another and it was good. My boyfriend also go a flight then he has two different blends: Nor’eastern/South End Sweet and Nor’eastern/Queen City Common. He liked both and we agree that while the flights were good, we prefer the blends.
The one drawback we noted was the lack of games and music. However, we thought maybe they were trying to create an atmosphere where people talk and have conversations. It was kind of small and I could see how if it were super busy, it may be hard to find a seat. We didn’t have a problem though.
We enjoyed it and will definitely be back.

Good ciders. Adds variety to the standard ciders like Woodchuck and Reds. However, if you like sweet ciders this is not the place for you. My girlfriends favorite was the cranberry cider.

As much as I love Charlotte’s craft beer scene, I’m thrilled at the addition of a cidery! I was impressed by the variety of ciders on tap and really happy to see other options (like local beers and kombucha) on the menu as well – so you can bring your friend who «doesn’t like cider» here, too.
Before going here, I thought the location was a little strange, but it’s just around the corner from the Scaleybark Station on the Lynx Blue Line. The patio looks nice (they have plenty of games) but I wasn’t in the mood for melting in the heat so we headed into the taproom. The interior looks pretty cool with exposed ductwork, lots of reclaimed wood, and a view of the stainless tanks in the brewing area.
I ordered a flight and my fiancé got a cidermosa. The «Hoppin’ Good Thyme» was a real standout and definitely my favorite of the flight, but I enjoyed all of them. I was intrigued by the blend of the day (the Noreaster combined with an OMB offering I believe) but didn’t have time to stick around and try it.
To top it all off, the bartender was very friendly and knowledgable about the cider.
I’m happy to have Red Clay Ciderworks in the neighborhood, and I hope to start seeing their ciders on menus around town soon.

Finally a «brewery» for me! The fella loves some beer, and I go along to local breweries with him and try to enjoy the atmosphere, but I’m a cider lover at heart. We stopped in a little after 3:00 on a Saturday, and the front parking lot was full, so we found a spot around back. Thankfully, there was a space near the front door where we could stand and set our beers.
We got in line under the «Order Here» sign at the bar, but people seemed a little confused about how/​where to queue up. They had 4 ciders on tap, and a flight had 4 spaces, so there ya go! I saw someone else mention that they don’t do flights after 3:00, but I didn’t have any trouble, so maybe they relaxed the rules a little? Much to the fella’s delight, they also have a few other beers on tap, so he got a Sycamore IPA. I was pretty impressed that they had an OMB Mecktoberfest since it was just being released by OMB that very day.
The ciders were hit and miss — I liked 2 and forced the other 2 down my neck — but that’s the joy of getting a flight. I’m excited to see what else they come up with since they haven’t been open long.
Inside was small, but they had a good mix of bar seats, a few high-​tops, a long communal table, a seating area with comfy chairs, and a wall rail. There was also a shuffleboard table inside and some cornhole boards outside along with a few umbrella tables.

I like this place so far! My big complaint is just the sound level I think… the acoustics are pretty bad in the main room, they would benefit from some sort of dampening. With a small number of people it can get VERY loud.
The cider is great! I can’t wait for them to put more on tap, and I’m following them to make sure that I can get in on what they’re offering next. They also collaborate with other local breweries, so if you’re not into cider, that’s cool. They don’t discriminate! …I also don’t mind their free snacks. Nobody minds free snacks.
Everybody there behind the bar was very friendly, and frankly, the clientele were friendly too. Randomly met a guy who taught me the two games you can play on their (gorgeous) shuffleboard/​curling table. Thanks, random guy! I’m excited to see this place grow, they have a lot going for them.

After my first visit to Red Clay, I was ready to write a 4-​star review but I am glad a waited until after my 2^nd visit because this place is deserving of the 5^th star.
This is the first cidery in Charlotte and it already has its own following. Red Clay is easily accessible from I-​77 or South Blvd in an old warehouse on Clanton Rd. They have a nice patio out front and there’s cornhole in the parking lot.
Inside is a mix of seating, pub tables, a couple of long picnic tables, a comfortable seating area in the front and of course the bar in the back. There’s not too much to the décor but there is an apple on the left wall that includes the names of everyone who donated to their kickstarter campaign. Great idea!!!
On my first visit, they only had 3 ciders on tap but on my next visit there were 5 which included a sweet cider, a semi-​dry, a cranberry cider, a cherry cider, and a hoppy thyme cider. I didn’t care for the first two but the others were great. I especially enjoyed mixing the cranberry and cherry to create what I call an adult Cran-​Cherry. Sorry Ocean Spray!
In addition to the ciders they also have 3 local beers on tap, a chardonnay and a few non-​alcoholic options like kombucha, root beer, and coffee on nitro.
The staff is great here. Everyone was very friendly and gracious to have you supporting them.
A few other items to note:
* They have USB outlets under the bar and around the taproom to charge your phone. Just bring a USB cable for your phone!
* On weekends, they only do flights before 3pm.
* There’s an «Order Here» sign in the middle of the bar. It’s helpful and avoids interruptions between people sitting at the bar.
Great place and a great addition to Charlotte’s Craft beverage community!

This is a very cool place. Charlotte definitely needed a hard cider bar and red clay ciderworks hit a home run with its selection, atmosphere and location.
We went to the grand opening and the place was packed with food trucks and people. They really got out the social media awareness because I do not ever remember a new business getting this much attention. We selected the Queen City cider, it was very smooth and a little tart. They have 3 ciders currently but they should have 6 to chose from later this year.
Red Clay Ciderworks offers shuffleboard, corn hole and other bar games.

OK so Charlotte doesn’t have many cideries (not sure if that’s a word) but this would be the best.
Great atmosphere something that’s missing at a lot of breweries in Charlotte, the staff are incredibly friendly and really know their products, plenty of choices including a lot of local breweries and they are dog friendly.
Chatting with the staff they have some really great ciders coming up for fall and winter including a favorite of mine which is mulled cider.
Plenty of parking outside and a ton of space inside.

So normally I like to feel a n place out before giving 5 stars, see if they can deliver consistency. However I am already in love with this place.
We came in early on a Friday and we were promptly greeted by a friendly bartender. They have free self serve water which is great for people like me who drink a lot of water but hate asking for refills.
They are dog friendly and even have dog bowls at their water stations. The dogs are allowed inside too!
The bartender knew about all their current selections and upcoming ciders which all sound delicious.
They also have USB charging ports at the bar which is great for those of us who run our phone to exhaustion.

What a welcome addition! This is the kind of place that truly has something for everyone. A few of my friends either don’t like beer or can’t drink it because of health issues, and Red Clay is a great alternative to the beer-​only places in Charlotte. When I went, there were three ciders on tap: a semi-​dry, a sweet, and a cranberry somethingorother. I tried and enjoyed them all, but I liked the sweet one the best. My wife and I wanted to do a flight, but the place was so busy that all of their flight-​sized glassware was in use. More to drink? Not a problem!
If cider isn’t your thing, they have lots of other offerings. There was 3C IPA from Triple C, a wit from Sugar Creek, and HospitaliTEA from The Unknown on tap. Nice selection!
Stuck driving your inebriated friends around? Not to worry! There’s a great selection of non-​alcoholic beverages as well. There was a ginger kombucha from Lenny Boy on tap, as well as bottled root beer Uncle Scott’s in Mooresville, NC. They also have ginger beer, but I’m not sure who makes it.
All of the employees were working their butts off when I visited, but they were very friendly and were happy to take the time to explain their ciders to me and answer some other questions I had. I learned that they’re barrel aging some ciders, and I’ll definitely be back when those are ready.
As far a food goes, there are free snacks (bags of chips) inside, and there are rotating food trucks outside.
Overall, it’s a nice space. It was absolutely packed when I went, so be prepared to stand around for a bit. It’s definitely worth a visit, and I’ll be back for sure.