News
Local Brewery To Sell Beer In Ohio Supermarkets
< < Back toSomething new is brewing at at a well-known Athens brewery.
Jackie O's Local Pub & Brewery's new facility on Campbell Street in Athens is part of a plan to begin selling its beers in supermarkets across the state.
"With this new facility, we're going to be able to really produce a lot more beer and get it into more people than just in the hands of people who come to Athens, Ohio," said Art Oestrike, owner of Jackie O's.
The new facility is currently able to produce 3,000 barrels of beer, the equivalent of 6,000 kegs.
Oestrike says the business will soon be able to can their beer as well. He said he hopes this will let customers bring the beer they enjoy at the bar back to their living room.
"You know not everyone goes to bars. Not everyone goes to those drinking holes around the area but most everybody finds themselves in the grocery store or the carry outs from time to time. We're thinking that when we have a presence on those shelves, product will move a lot more in the area," he said.
The brewery was previously capable of selling just barrels of beer to bars throughout the state.
Employees also say the new facility makes the brewing process easier than before.
"It's really nice brewing here. It's a lot easier than uptown because it was all spread out and really difficult," said Brad Clark, brewmaster at Jackie O's.
Clark said the brewery will be able to quadruple its output with the addition of a few fermentation tanks, producing up to 12,000 barrells of beer a year, or 24,000 kegs.