It’s a bar right on 4th Street in downtown Loveland. It’s been around for at least 20 years. So, it’s surprising to hear that it will not open ever again. With all the changes coming to the downtown area in 2017, do you think this closure/change will be good for downtown?

Scotty O'Brian's
Dave Jensen, TSM
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UPDATE - January 18:

The Reporter-Herald has the official story on the closing of Scotty O'Brian's.  Chef Clay will close this week on buying not only Scotty's but the whole building. He hopes to have his latest venture, 'The Loveland Taphouse' in March.

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Scotty O’Brian’s has been open on 4th street for at least 20 years. It’s basically a little neighborhood bar across from The Rialto Theater, that reminds me of what you’d find in Philadelphia or New Jersey: A rectangle, with a long bar and some tables. There’s not much to it, but it’s a favorite on 4th. Before it was Scotty O'Brian's, it was Diinty's. Old timers may remember Dinty's!

The fact that it’s so popular, is why it comes as a surprise that it may not be around come the spring of 2017. Word on the street has it, that Chef Clay over at Mo’ Betta Gumbo, along with a partner, have put down money to buy out the bar.  The bar is currently closed.

Scotty’s is really small. It’s hard to imagine the place being anything other than a little bar, but the rumor is they want to make it a taproom. I can see where a taproom would be successful. The Laureate Publick House at Lincoln Place does pretty well. The Laurette, though, is huge as compared to Scotty O’Brian’s. It seems unlikely that they would be able to hold a lot of kegs. Sidestory: When The Pourhouse (also on 4th street) expanded their selection of beers, they had to eliminate that great private room they had downstairs (I called it The Sinatra Room) to make room for all the extra kegs.

Nothing is set in stone, yet. The whole deal may not even happen. With all the things Chef Clay has going on, where would he find the time? He’s expanding Mo’ Betta Gumbo (which will be GREAT); he and his partner are also going to open a BBQ and Blues place at the corner of 5th and Cleveland, sometime soon.

Downtown’s ‘The Foundry’ breaks ground in March and is slated to open in the fall of 2017. Changes are coming, that’s for sure. With Chef Clay working the north side of downtown, and ‘The Foundry’ working the south side, what we need is someone to work the east side of downtown. The Boar and Bull, and B Sweet Cupcakes are the only things worth going east of Lincoln for. Is that mean?

Tell me: What do you think of Chef Clay buying out Scotty O’Brian’s?

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