Meet the Makers

Beer and Cider · Athens, Ohio

Jackie O's Brewery

An Athens, Ohio brewpub turned barrel-aging powerhouse with its own farm.

Founded by
Art Oestrike
Based in
Athens, Ohio

Their story

Jackie O's lives in Athens, Ohio, a few blocks from Ohio University. Owner Art Oestrike took over an existing brewpub called O'Hooley's in 2005 and renamed it for his late mother, Jackie, who came from England. The bar he bought happened to have a small, barely working brewery inside, and that is where the beer story began.

Brad Clark, Art's first hire, started out checking IDs and pouring pints, picked up homebrewing, and went on to lead brewing operations. The uptown pub survived a fire in 2014 and reopened two years later, while a separate production brewery a few miles away grew to supply cans across the region.

Today the company is about more than beer. It runs a farm of more than 20 acres in the hills outside town, a bakery that uses spent grain in its bread and pizza dough, and a busy barrel program that has made it a name among stout and sour fans.

How it's made

The core lineup of IPAs, ambers, wheat and brown ales is brewed on a 20-barrel system and mostly canned. Stouts and other strong beers rest in hundreds of bourbon, rum and wine barrels, and the brewers taste through them weekly, dumping any that go off. A dedicated sour room holds oak barrels and stainless tanks, and produce from the brewery's own farm finds its way into small-batch beers.

Why we carry them

We like Jackie O's for its range: everyday cans that drink clean and easy, and barrel-aged stouts worth opening with friends. It is a good example of a small-town brewery that grew without losing its roots.

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