My name is Pat Winslow, I am the original founder and head brewer at Ogden River Brewing. I spent 42 years working at Union Pacific Railroad. Many of my brothers and sisters at UP spotted cars and drank beer at Becker’s Brewing. When I retired from the railroad in 2017, my dream was to open a brewery and make beer to share with all of my friends. The first location I chose was at 1921 Lincoln, which was actually physically on the former Becker Brewing property. I was ecstatic to think that I may be able to tread in the footprints of the original beer pioneers in Ogden. The more I learned about Becker Brewing the more I became enchanted by the journals and history of the Becker story, and passion for Ogden.
Through the duration of my career at UP, I was a union leader for 35 years. The thing that impressed me most about John Becker was the fact that he recognized that labor was important to his operation and let the labor organization have their Christmas party at the brewery. What company today would even entertain a thought such as that? Everything I needed to know about the man was in the simple yet very smart recognition of a long lost concept; mutual respect and honor.
Becker’s Best is a beer that I created to honor the Becker family and the rich history they brought to Ogden and to the west. John Becker was a phenomenal journal keeper. I have a copy of the letter he received from the State of Utah to cease and desist operations at the start of prohibition. I can only imagine what a kick in the gut that must have been, yet he persisted and pushed towards making beer in Evanston WY. before returning to Ogden to pick up the pieces that must surely have been scattered about near and far.
At the end of the day, you can’t trademark a name. We legally acquired the Becker’s trademark which had been abandoned for sixty plus years. We do not legally need anyone’s permission to make or sell a product. However, we can choose to celebrate a collective greatness.
Pat Winslow
ogden
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