Claire BerlinJackie O’s is a local brewpub in Athens, Ohio that prides itself on sustainably crafted beer and food with a purpose. The staff is always friendly, the food is crafted with locally sourced ingredients when possible and they offer a mix of traditional beer and options with an interesting and creative twist.
On December 4 and 5, 2015 Jackie O’s celebrated it’s 10–year anniversary in this supportive community. Jackie O’s is made up of several different divisions: the BrewPub/Public House, the Brewery/Taproom, the Barrel Ridge Farm, and the Bakeshop.
BrewPub/Public House
The BrewPub is a favorite hangout of locals, Ohio University students, faculty and staff. Here you can cozy up to the bar for a drink with your friends and co-workers or get there early to grab a space before a live band or other performance, which are always popular events. Last November marked the one-year anniversary of a fire that heavily damaged the BrewPub/Public House and several other businesses on Union Street. Luckily, no one was injured in the fire and the new kitchen has recently reopened from the fire damage.
The beer list is updated often on their website with a list that is sure to delight any craft beer lover. Current seasonal recommendations are Jackie O’s Zestivus (brewed with experimental Lemondrop hops), Jackie O’s Kinda Fuzzy (Peach and Apricot Wheat Ale) and Jackie O’s CSAison (saison brewed with local herbs and spices sourced primarily from Jackie O’s Barrel Ridge Farm).
Brewery/Taproom
While Jackie O’s has been brewing in Athens since 2005 the next big step came in March of 2013 when the brewery started production at their new facility at 25 Campbell St. At this new facility, beers were packaged into kegs for the brewpub and two months later the two signature Jackie O’s beers, Firefly Amber and Chomolungma, were canned for commercial distribution. Later that year they partnered with Cavalier distributing in August 2013 and canned Mystic Mama, then Hop Ryot in early 2014, and Razz Wheat in February 2015.
If all this talk of specialty beers is making you thirsty, get ready to put on your coat for happy hour. The Brewery and Taproom is open to the public and is outfitted with 16 taps so you can enjoy fresh beer straight from the place where it is created and aged. The Brewery and Taproom is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday from Noon to 9 p.m. There is also a special Taproom food cart that offers a locally-sourced menu, Monday through Friday from 4 -9 p.m. and Saturday from Noon-9 p.m.
Farm
Barrel Ridge Farm is a 20+ acre produce farm in Lodi Township where Jackie O’s has been growing their own produce since 2010. The farm includes four greenhouses, garden patches for vegetables, herbs, and flowers that help to supplement Jackie O’s in-house menu and production brews. If you are interested in the produce from the Jackie O’s farm and their produce, keep an eye out for them at the Athens Farmers Market every Saturday from 9 a.m. – Noon.
Bakeshop
Who doesn’t like a good slice of pizza with their beer? Well, good news! Jackie O’s has taken sustainability to a new level by using spent grain in their pizzas, which they have since expanded to their other bread products. In the beer making process spent grain is the leftover malt and adjuncts after the mash has extracted most of the sugars, proteins, and nutrients. Spent grain can make up as much as 85% of a brewery’s total by-product, leading many sustainable conscious breweries to look for other uses for the by-product.
Be on the lookout for Jackie O’s baked goods at the Athens Farmers Market and other restaurants/groceries in the Athens area!
So the next time you find yourself asking your friend or significant other “What do you want to do tonight”? Try something new, and try Jackie O’s for a craft beer and some locally sourced grub. I promise that you won’t be short on choices!