Scroll to read about events Roosters Brewing Co. has planned for Women’s History Month, and specifically International Women’s Day on March 8.

Roosters Brewing Co.’s new 13,000-square-foot brewhouse is a sight to behold. It’s a perfect blend of science and art, form and function, power and grace.

It’s a B Street beaut, for sure.

The Roosters B Street Brewery, a 30-barrel production facility and taproom, opened in December 2018.

On display at last year’s Craft Brewers Conference, the state-of-the-art brewhouse is built with an eye toward the future:

• Roosters is now one of only two breweries (Uinta Brewing) in Utah with a centrifuge, a colorful piece of equipment important for beer filtration and clarification, says B Street head brewer Jacquie King.
• A new Wild Goose canning line packages 40 cans per minute. Roosters can now package a 30-barrel batch of beer in the same time it takes to bottle a batch from its seven-barrel systems.
• An on-site lab allows for testing yeast cell counts, oxygen levels, and more.

And that’s only a slice of what’s inside the impressive facility.

The B Street Brewery features a full taproom (with bar license), as well as a second floor “skybox” reserved for private events or overflow seating that offers spectacular panoramic views of Ogden’s various mountain peaks.

To top off the experience, a brewery mascot — Cocky Balboa — greets visitors out front.

Bonus: Subscribe to the Utah Beer News Podcast and listen to the full interview with Roosters Brewing. Hear how one of Utah’s oldest operating breweries continues to push forward in terms of expansion and innovation. Brewer Jacquie King talks about brewing in the Beehive, serving as President of the Utah Brewers Guild, and the importance of getting more women into the beer industry.

Building for the Future

Located in West Ogden’s up-and-coming Trackline District, the B Street Brewery is about a mile from Roosters’ Historic 25th Street location. That one, which opened in 1995, coupled with a Layton brewpub (2005), each features a seven-barrel brewhouse (about 220-gallon batches).

With its two locations operating at or near capacity, Roosters needed to make a decision.

“We reached a point where the demand for our product was outreaching our ability to keep up with it,” King says. “Do you stay at brewpub levels and be happy with it or do you expand? It’s always been (owner Pete Buttschardt’s) dream to expand. He took the (leap) and did this amazing thing.”

The brewer, who got her start as a bartender at Roosters on Historic 25th Street five years ago, couldn’t be happier.

“It’s kind of been a whirlwind,” says King, who apprenticed for Colton Layton and took over as Roosters’ head brewer in Ogden in 2016 when Layton left for schooling (he’s now back at B Street as brewery engineer).

“Going into this facility’s been amazing,” King continues. “It’s built from the ground up especially for us.”

Making a Name

A self-described “military brat,” King developed a love for beer while living Germany. She moved to Ogden 12 years ago and took a bartending job to get a foot in the industry. As a homebrewer, she always knew her end goal.

“I started bartending at Roosters so I could get into the brewhouse,” she remembers. “I kept bugging (Layton) for a while. He was nice enough to let me apprentice and taught me how to brew on a commercial system.”

Since then, King’s made a name for herself in the Utah craft beer community. She’s become an advocate for the industry as President of the Utah Brewers Guild and with her involvement in the Pink Boots Society.

Yet she doesn’t describe herself as a trailblazer.

“I don’t necessarily think I am,” she says. “We have a pretty rad group of women (in the beer industry) here in Utah.”

That group got together last year for Utah’s inaugural Pink Boots Brew Day. The brew — dubbed “Mash the Patriarchy” — brought together brewers from around the state. This year, an exclusive Pink Boots hop blend will figure prominently in its “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink Boots” Cold IPA. (Read more about the beer at the end of this article).

“Women still only account for 2 percent of head brewers nationwide,” King told Visit Ogden. “We obviously are a very, very small portion of this industry, so events like (Pink Boots Brew Day) help women and girls everywhere realize that it is attainable to work in beer.”

Roosters Notes

The following are a few happenings in and around Roosters Brewing in March 2019 in celebration of Women’s History Month. International Women’s Day is March 8.

Pink Boots Brew Day

Women brewers from throughout the state will gather at Roosters B Street Brewery on March 8 for Utah’s Second Annual Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day. This year, the crew will brew 30 barrels of a Cold Session IPA.

Named “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink Boots,” the beer is a hybrid using an ale yeast fermented at a lower temperature — about 50 degrees, King says. The vast majority of hops are added after the boil. “Low bitterness, a lot of hop aroma. It should be a fun mix of citrus and spicy notes,” she says.

Brewers from Kiitos Brewing, Wasatch Brewing, Squatters Craft Beers, Epic Brewing, Uinta Brewing, Strap Tank Brewing, Red Rock Brewery, Proper Brewing, and Fisher Brewing are scheduled to participate. They’ll join brewers from Roosters and fellow Ogden brewery Talisman Brewing on the brew deck, according to Visit Ogden.

The Pink Boots Society serves to assist, inspire, and encourage women beer professionals to advance their careers through education. The Utah chapter features members from 16 breweries, King says.

Jamie’s Pints for a Purpose

In conjunction with the Second Annual Pink Boots Brew Day, the Utah craft beer community is coming together to support one of its own. Also on March 8, the Roosters B Street Brewery will host a fundraiser in support of Jamie Burnham.

“One of the members of our tight knit beer family, and the Utah Pink Boots chapter leader, has been diagnosed with breast cancer,” Roosters wrote on Facebook.

Burnham, a well-respected member of the Utah beer community, currently works for Kiitos Brewing. A portion of each pint sold at B Street Brewery on March 8 will be donated in support of Burnham, Roosters said.

More Collaboration

In addition to the March 8 Pink Boots Collaboration Beer, Roosters also tapped Linsey Kunzler to brew a commercial batch of a homebrew recipe. A member of the all-female Hop Bombshells homebrew club, Kunzler brewed her Rye Porter — Oops Rye Did It Again — at the Historic 25th Street location. “Watch for this beer to come to draft lines near you in the coming weeks,” Roosters said.

Femintation

After a two-year hiatus, Femintation will return to Roosters’ lineup. When it first came out, it was the first high-point beer King brewed commercially, she says. The Cascadian Dark Ale, brewed in late February, should be available in bottles in the coming weeks.

About Roosters Brewing Co.

Roosters Brewing Co., founded in 1995 in Ogden, Utah, now features three locations producing about 5,000 barrels a year. The company recently began canning its beers, which are readily available in liquor stores and grocery stores throughout the state. Bee’s Knees Honey Wheat is the brewery’s top seller.

• Founded: 1995
• Addresses: Three locations — 253 Historic 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401; 748 W. Heritage Park Blvd, Layton, UT 84041; 2325 B Avenue, Ogden, UT 84401
• Notable: Steve Kirkland’s been Roosters brewmaster since 1995. Owners Kym and Pete Buttschardt opened a Layton location in 2005 and poured the first pints at Roosters B Street Brewery in December 2018. Its 25th Street and Layton locations each house a seven-barrel brewhouse. The B Street Brewery features a custom-built 30-barrel system, and the facility includes a Wild Goose canning line that packages 40 cans per minute.
• Website: http://www.roostersbrewingco.com/
• Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat