Steeped in local history, unique flavors and a desire to serve the community, Seidr Brewing serves up one-of-a-kind beverages and more importantly, a place for the community to enjoy together.
From the old traffic light that returned home to Main Street to the bottle from Arab Bottling Company, little glimmers from the town’s past are nestled throughout Seidr Brewing. Built around the idea of having a gathering place for the entire family and community to enjoy, the brewery serves as a welcome respite for locals and visitors alike.
Seidr Brewing owner and brew master, Stephen Raley, says the idea formed from his own experiences as a single father and from what began as a casual hobby. When he looked back at his life and his experiences with his young son, he knew he wanted to create an environment where families could enjoy each other’s company together. When years later he took up home brewing pieces began to fall together to create what would become Seidr Brewing.
“Seidr is an ancient viking belief where they thought you could potentially see the web of fate and if you were wise enough, you could even reweave it. So the way that my life went when I was younger and became a father, that really changed me and changed the path that I was on. That seemed very fitting for me. Since I was young, I wanted to become a father. Then it became how to change your story and how to change what you are doing, and that fit with the idea of seeing how fate is laying itself out and changing.”
Prior to discovering Arab, Raley became enmeshed in the brewing scene in Madison County, learning from other brewers and eventually even trying his own hand at it as well. He said he never envisioned what it would become, but primarily enjoyed the challenge of it – of creating something fresh and new.
“There are so many flavors to try – especially when your imagination has become your limit and I have a big imagination,” Raley said.
What began as a hobby to test flavor profiles, quickly turned into hosting friends and eventually looking at buildings and spaces to create his own brewery. When he was later introduced to Mark Gullion through acquaintances, he was also introduced to Arab.
After a stint of dead ends looking at various properties throughout Madison County, Gullion suggested Arab as a potential home for Raley’s vision. Inviting him to tour Arab and the downtown area.
“So I said, would you consider Arab – he had never even heard of Arab. He came up one weekend and I took him downtown and showed him a few buildings, met all the people downtown, and just showed him around. If I was giving my thoughts, I would say he kind of fell in love with Arab that first weekend,” Gullion said.
After learning of the strong school system and coming out for the Arab Christmas Parade, Raley was sold on the community, purchasing a home in addition to the building downtown that would become Seidr Brewing. Yet, securing the building was only the beginning of his journey.
For a year, Raley hand-chiseled plaster from the brick walls, a task that had to be completed before any other renovations could take place. From there, he and Gullion crafted a vision of a viking-themed brewery that honored the historical background of the building.
“I had never really done a historic building, not on that scale before. The building kind of tells you what it’s willing to do, so it evolved quite a bit over the 2.5 years it took to finish it,” Gullion said.
Attention to detail was at the forefront of that vision, and especially making somewhere that was not only family-friendly, but welcoming to those families. From his own experiences of having his young son peeking over the booths, came the private seating. Exasperation over the per-game model of most arcades came the vision of the arcade with a flat fee for kids to enjoy. Then came the historical vision of the building.
Three genuine Tiffany lamps grace the entryway, 14,400 pennies make up the counter – nine of which are wheat pennies, the door to the brew house comes from Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa, the mural outside was painted by a local artist with personal symbols of her life, and the monocled and mustached hare above the taps, Herr Eric, was handcrafted in England. It’s these details that make up the experience and ambiance at Seidr Brewing.
“We are trying to make it an experience. The beer is good, I am putting a lot of passion into it, but it’s about the experience. A lot of people appreciate the small details that I never really thought they would see or notice, and the thought that went into it. The penny bar has 14,400 pennies, and nine of them are wheat pennies. People will spend their entire time trying to find the wheat pennies in the bar,” Raley said.
Beyond the reach locally in Arab and Marshall County, Raley and Gullion say they’ve seen guests from all over Alabama coming to experience Seidr Brewing, receiving compliments like it would be something that could be found in New Orleans, Atlanta, or even New York. When asked why Arab, Raley had a simple answer.
“The question I got the most was why Arab. And eventually I was like the reason why, is because you asked that question. The fact that you felt the need to ask that question is exactly why Arab need this and deserve this,” Raley said.
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