William John Jacka and Joseph Henry Jacka were the sons of William Jacka, a brewer from Auburn. In 1876, William senior relocated his family to Melrose, where he became publican of the North Star Hotel. That same year, the two brothers began constructing a brewery near Mount Remarkable Creek, and by early 1877 the brewery was in operation. In 1885, William John Jacka left the business to take up employment at the Unicorn Brewery in Burra. Despite his departure, the brewery continued to grow in popularity, exporting beer as far as Broken Hill. By the early 1890s, however, the original site had become too small to meet demand. In 1893, Joseph Henry Jacka secured a new site, converting a disused adjacent mill into a more suitable brewing facility. By 1898, the decline of the mining industry was taking its toll on northern towns. A proposed merger between Jacka Bros, the Clare Brewery, and the Unicorn Brewery was discussed but ultimately never proceeded, and the Jacka brewery continued under Joseph’s management. Joseph Henry Jacka died in 1901, leaving his sons Clem Jacka and William Josiah Slee Jacka to manage the brewery. Several years later, their uncle and original brewery founder William John Jacka rejoined the business. During the First World War, Clem Jacka enlisted in the Australian Armed Forces and was tragically killed in 1917. That same year, William John Jacka retired, leaving W. J. S. Jacka as sole manager of the brewery. In 1924, the brewery was destroyed by fire. During its reconstruction, the South Australian Brewing Company supplied beer to Jacka-owned hotels. Although the brewery was rebuilt, sales continued to decline, and the business ultimately closed in 1934, a casualty of the Great Depression. William Josiah Slee Jacka later went on to become head brewer at Adelaide Brewery Ltd, and subsequently at the Springfield Brewery.