×
×
homepage logo
SUBSCRIBE

Ogden Beer Co. launches, takes over ex-Ogden River Brewing space

By Tim Vandenack - | Jan 14, 2023
1 / 3
Lane Montoya, left, and brewer Jacquie King pose in the brew area of Ogden Beer Co. on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. They are helping run the new locale, which took over the space from Ogden River Brewing. Further to the right are Tom Shivers and Craig Gulla.
2 / 3
Jacquie King, right, oversees the beer-making process at Ogden Beer Co. on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, while Lane Montoya looks on. They are helping run the new locale, which took over the space from Ogden River Brewing.
3 / 3
Lane Montoya, left, and brewer Jacquie King pose in the brew area of Ogden Beer Co. on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. They are helping run the new locale, which took over the space from Ogden River Brewing.

OGDEN — A new brewery and brewpub are operating, led by the two men behind Ogden taco restaurant Wimpy and Fritz, Lane Montoya and Brian Zinsmann.

Jacquie King has moved over from Roosters Brewing Co. to make beer for the new operation, the Ogden Beer Co.

“We just want everybody to know we are Ogden grown and we love the town,” Montoya said.

While a new food and beer operation is up and running — run, no less, by three forces in the local food and drink scene — another has ceased operating. Effective with the New Year, Ogden Beer Co. took over the restaurant, brewery and beer distribution space that had been used by Ogden River Brewing, or ORB. ORB, which initially opened Oct. 28, 2020, closed as of the end of 2022 after just two-plus years of operation.

“We just unfortunately never got out of the hole we were in during COVID,” said Bryan Wrigley of Lotus Co., which, through subsidiary Lotus Craft, had operated ORB, with Pat Winslow serving as the lead brewer. Wrigley is an investor in Ogden Beer Co. but will leave managerial and day-to-day operations to Montoya, Zinsmann and King, the main partners.

Ogden Beer Co. sits at 358 Park Blvd., just north of Wimpy and Fritz, located at 352 Park Blvd. But as described by Montoya, the new locale is a completely different animal from Wimpy and Fritz, which features tacos and other Mexican fare imbued with Montoya and Zinsmann’s distinctive twist.

The transition from ORB to Ogden Beer Co. is unfolding quickly, while the fare at the new locale consists of offerings like burgers, sandwiches, flatbread pizza and more. But Montoya said he and Zinsmann hope to add their own take on things as time passes.

King, meantime, is coming up with a distinctive menu of brews to serve at the restaurant and for commercial sale. She headed research and development for Roosters but is working on a new slate of offerings for Ogden Beer Co., distinctive by and large from both Roosters and ORB.

She was at it Thursday, working the giant beer-making machines at the Ogden Beer Co. “Drinkability is our No. 1 goal,” King said.

Among the planned beer offerings so far are a brew called Hibiscus Haole, an American lager called 1851 (the year Ogden was founded) and Cougar Juice, an orange wheat beer, Montoya said.

‘TRIED AND TRUE OGDEN PEOPLE’

Wrigley, based in Salt Lake City, sounded praises for the vision of Montoya, Zinsmann and King. While helping the new operation with financing, he’s leaving the bulk of the work to them given their track records in the industry and their local roots.

“Truly this is a different concept,” said Wrigley, noting the business and brand-marketing savvy of Montoya and Zinsmann. “I just feel they’re more dialed in with the Ogden community. They’re tried-and-true Ogden people. They know what Ogden wants.”

As ORB operations wound down, Wrigley, Montoya, Zinsmann and King hammered out details of the new arrangement for the space. Wrigley hopes the new operators take the space “to where it was intended to be.”

Montoya noted the road he and Zinsmann have traveled. They first hawked tacos out of a truck then expanded operations to The Yes Hell, an Ogden bar, before opening the Park Boulevard space near the Ogden River off Washington Boulevard.

“We scrapped so hard to make this dream our reality, when we got our brick-and-mortar location in Ogden, that just felt like the tops,” Montoya said.

Indeed, Zinsmann, in a press release announcing the change, said the evolution has been dramatic. “Now we’re talking about multiple locations and this completely new restaurant-brewery concept. We feel like grown ups now and we’re excited,” he said. “Nervous but excited.”

King is a big presence in the beer-making scene. She spearheaded the first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day in Utah, according to the press release announcing the Ogden Beer Co. plans, and has helped spur the brewing scene for women in the state.

While losing a key employee, Roosters co-owner Kym Buttschardt offered words of support for King. “We’re sad to see her go but know that she’s outgrown what we have for her here at Roosters. We’re so proud of her and what this new opportunity provides,” Buttschardt said.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)