Roger Touhy’s friend, Father Joseph Weber was part of the wealthy Cincinnati brewing family. According to Touhy, the family disowned the Weber when he became a Catholic, not an uncommon thing to happen in those days. The original family name was Webben and started in business as the Marhofer and Webben Brewery, one of the many German families that dominated the business in the Midwest, particularly in Cincinnati. The brewery, eventually known as the Western Brewery, was located on what is now Central Avenue (Then 572 Western Avenue) from 1865 until 1856. Frank Weber later opened the Frank Weber Brewery at 648 Main near Schiller Street from 1859 to 1860 and Louis Weber operated the Louis Weber Brewery located at the northwest corner of Busch and Wheeler Streets in Covington, KY for one year, 1872. In 1873, George Weber gained control of the Jackson Brewery after the death of the Kleiner Brothers and operated it until 1884. On July 4, 1887, the brewery was destroyed by fire when a Roman candle accidentally ignited the malt house and the brewery burns to the ground. George Weber declared bankruptcy later that year and sold the brewery. In 1887, the George Weber Brewery was purchased by Leo A. Brigel, E. W. Kittredge, and Lawrence Maxwell and reincorporated as the Jackson Brewing Company until it was closed in 1919 due to Prohibition.
