Marge Schuchter of Valley Vineyards tending to Aurora white grapes.

The Jackson Brewery was first established on West McMicken Street (then Hamilton Road) by the Kleiner Brothers in 1859, a period in Cincinnati’s history when the German lager was gaining consumer favor over local ales and porters. Constructed into the hillside to provide the cavern-like areas necessary for lager production, the brewery by 1885 produced 100,000 barrels annually and employed 62 people. One of the more profitable beers made during this period was the Jackson Pure Old Lager.

Raids of suspected alcohol production facilities by the federal authorities upholding dry laws was a common occurrence during Prohibition. In 1920 the Jackson Brewery along with several other Cincinnati breweries and saloons were assessed fines for unlawful brewery production, distribution, and sales. According to the January 30, 1929 edition of the New York Times, Joseph Sperber, Jackson’s brew master, would also be charged with conspiracy for soliciting for advance knowledge on plant raids and attempting to bribe Bert B. Buckley, Ohio’s State Treasurer.

After Prohibition, the brewery manufactured several varieties of beer, such as Jackson’s Bohemian Style, 1862 Beer (named in honor of the brewery’s foundation date), and Jackson Cream of Cincinnati Ale, as an attempt to revitalize sales to pre-prohibition levels but revenue remained sluggish. The brewery ceased production in 1942 and would later serve as a distribution center for the Gibson Wine Company.

Ken Schuchter, founder of Valley Vineyards, tying grape vines to a trellis.

Photo taken of the Schuchter family brewery workers at the Jackson Brewery during the late 1870s:

Franz Shuchter (1830-1914) is pictured on the first row, 4^th from the right at the kegs. Joe F. Schuchter (1872-1941) is the little boy standing 2^nd from the right on the first row. The other little boy to the right of Franz is Louis Schuchter (1866-?) and the man behind him is Joe Schuchter (1827-1915). Most of the other people in the picture are Schuchter relatives by marriage -- in particular the Nelters, Steffens, and Lutzs.

More than half a million German immigrants settled in Cincinnati between 1852 and 1854 and millions more would follow in the decades ahead. These settlers brought with them not only their cultural values and traditions but also a strong brewing tradition and malt drinking culture. It was during this period that Franz Schuchter, a German immigrant and the 3x Great Grandfather to the current of owner of Valley Vineyards, took up residence on Hamilton Road (known today as West McMicken Street) in the heart of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district.

Employed at Jackson Brewery as a brewer, according to the 1865 edition of the William’s Cincinnati Directory, Franz would be the first of many Schuchter descendants to work in the brewing industry. Franz’s son, Joe F. Schuchter, during prohibition would eventually leave the area and become a farmer near Morrow, the current location of Valley Vineyards.