Jackie O’s, a brewery that started as a neighborhood pub and turned into an internationally recognized craft brewery, had its 20th Anniversary Extravaganza on Saturday, honoring 20 years of business.
Currently, four different locations exist, with three of them being in Athens—Public House Restaurant, Uptown Brewpub, and Taproom and Brewery—and one in Columbus.
The brewery is especially known for the beer it brews, which includes barrel-aged stouts and porters, IPAs, wheat and fruit beers, sour and wild ales, lagers and golden ales, coffee-infused and nonalcoholic options.
For every anniversary, Jackie O’s throws a party called an Extravaganza. Jackie O’s Owner Art Oestrike said because this was its 20th anniversary, he and the Jackie O’s team knew they wanted to do something extra special. This year, Jackie O’s released seven barrel-aged beers and one sour mixed fermentation beer.
“The beers that we're releasing today, we've been working on for well over a year,” Oestrike said. “A lot of those barrel-aged beers rest in barrels for 18 to 24 months, and some of the collaborations and different things that we did a year and a half to two years ago was to set up knowing that we were going to release them at our 20th anniversary.”
In addition to the new brews, the event featured Jackie O’s wood-fired pizza, food from Bagel Street Deli, and all-day vinyls and bands. The performances included The Grifters String Band, Oyo and Rumpke Mountain Boys.
At the Columbus location, on Friday, Jackie O’s also honored this milestone. This event featured Wario’s Way Steak Sammie and music from local Ohio bands, such as Dan Phelps & His Jazz Pickin' Pals, Heather Redman and The D Rays.
Oestrike said the actual anniversary was back in December, but they move the Extravaganza most years to March to avoid celebrating in the dead of winter.
Jackie O’s was originally founded in 2005 after Oestrike bought O’Hooley’s, a brewery that used to be in Athens. Shortly after the purchase, his mother, Jackie Oestrike, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. In honor of her legacy, Oestrike renamed the brewery to Jackie O’s.
Over the last two decades, Jackie O’s beers have earned fame, and its mission has remained community-focused. Oestrike said the brewery’s biggest accomplishment is the sheer impact it has had on Athens.
“There's 120 employees with I'm gonna say 30 to 40 children who are being fed by those paychecks,” Oestrike said. “That's a big deal that we've been fostering careers and career paths in a town that's starving for these kinds of things, that's awesome.”
Scott Mash, a former Ohio University student who graduated in 2020, came back to Athens for the 20th anniversary event. He said Jackie O’s is extremely involved in the community.
“I just feel like they're always right there with everyone else in the community,” Mash said. “As big as Jackie O's has gotten, I still feel like they're a small business from Athens.”
The celebration at Taproom and Brewery impressed attendees. Bryce Alford, an Athens resident who has lived here for five years, said the food was amazing as usual.
“The Rumpke Boys that are closing the show, that's a very hyped event that a lot of locals are excited for,” Alford said. “They haven't played here in a long time … As I've heard, they haven't played here, allegedly, since 2018-2017. For a lot of people that were around here then, it's sort of a return to grace.”
Alford said what he loves most about Jackie O’s is it produces not only good products, but also sustainable ones. According to Jackie O’s website, it is dedicated to creating sustainable communities through local partnerships.
“Their commitment to sustainability and their commitment to a clean, good product, I think shines,” Alford said. “If you have other beers from different breweries, they're going to be good, but they're not going to be as good as Jackie O's. You're going to notice a cleaner, better-produced taste, I think, and that's what I think makes Jackie O’s shine.”
