Jackie O's Opening New Brewery on Stimson

The operators of the popular Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery, which has earned a great deal of acclaim from locals and beer lovers alike, have recently opened up a new brewery on Stimson Avenue.Jackie O’s has grown from what used to be O’Hooley’s and blossomed into what many in Athens see to be an excellent pub. Lenny & Megan Meyer, along with Arthur Oestrike – who all have co-owned Bagel Street Deli since October of 2003 – pursued an opportunity to buy the former brewery that was going under, and are now the proprietors of a business that is still expanding.The business is looking to expand its possibilities within Athens and the surrounding area, and possibly throughout the state of Ohio and on a regional scale. The business’s first expansion was to open the Public House, but Jackie O’s is further expanding with this new brewery. For several years, the owners have had the idea in mind and are now going through with the opening of the new brewery. The new brewery itself will enable Jackie O’s to do several things.Sean White, an employee within the brewery on 24 West Union St., is optimistic about the brewery’s future.“The goal is to be a more regional and statewide brewery, just keep producing beer, and supply the bar with more beer,” White said.And with new business, there will come possible job opportunities for locals, though White did note that there were several individuals “waiting on the sidelines” or working part time in anticipation of work becoming available at the new brewery. There was also the possibility of hiring drivers to transport more beer.“The new facility is basically set up so that as our market increases, we can just add more fermenters, and as we add more fermenters, we will have more capacity to brew more beer, and it will just slowly grow,” White said. “We will take on more brewers and employers as necessary. We will also need some more people for staffing the tap room down there, we’ll have a tap room for draft sales.”As far as the beer goes, the company will continue with their four mainstays and it is yet to be determined whether any additional beers will be made. Beeradvocate.com, along with giving Jackie O’s a “World-Class” rating, lists the beers that they continue to brew.White was quite optimistic about the possibilities for the local economy.“I think it will be a great for the local economy,” White said. “I mean, this is a growing business, and Athens needs all the stimulation it can get, and furthermore, it is from a business that is making steps to be sustainable.”