Jackie O's Brewery, based in Athens, Ohio, is known for aggressive IPAs, barrel-aged imperial stouts, and funky sours, frequently places on Ratebeer.com and Beer Advocate top 100 lists, and regularly collaborates with giants like Hill Farmstead. Jackie O’s journey started in 2006, when Art Oestrike bought the former O’Hooley’s brewpub, a declining product of the 90’s brewpub boom, and hired Brad Clark as his brewer. Oestrike renamed the bar Jackie O’s in honor of his mother Jackie, and he and Clark cultivated a cult following with Ohio University students.
As the brewery’s popularity has grown, so has its footprint. Starting from a 7 barrel system at the brewpub, Jackie O’s opened an 8,000-barrel production brewery in 2013 five miles from the brewpub; in 2015, they expanded once more, this time a massive blowout of their production facility, adding 120-barrel fermenters, a quality control lab and a dedicated space for souring. In addition to a range of flagship beers available year round, Jackie O's produces many seasonals and one-off beers throughout the year -- many of which have received accolades from craft beer lovers around the country.
Jackie O's receives about half of its energy from solar panels installed at its brewery, and they support the consumption of local food from farms within 30 mi (48 km) of the city of Athens at their establishments. They also own Barrel Ridge Farm, one of the local farms that supplies produce for their food menu. Their motto encapsulates their business model: “Sustainably Crafted With Purpose.”
