First Look: Schnitz Ale Brewery, Parma’s First Brewery, Which Opened This Week

“This is the first brewery in the history of Parma,” Goran Djurin says proudly.

He’s standing with his son Igor in the just-completed Schnitz Ale Brewery (5729 Pearl Rd.), a dazzling new brewery and restaurant that opened this week in Parma. The building sits directly across the street from Das Schnitzel Haus (5728 Pearl Rd., 440-886-5050), which the same family opened in 2005.

When the two-story building became available in 2019, the family quickly snatched it up with plans for the brewery already in mind. Over the past two years, they transformed every square inch of the space into a distinctive brewpub that seamlessly blends Old World, industrial and contemporary – with every last detail originating from the creative mind of Djurin.

“This is not just a brewery, but a beautiful brewery,” he says. “I wanted to make it something special for Parma.”


The 10,000-square-foot brewpub seats approximately 200 guests on two floors, the second of which is a mezzanine that overlooks the main hall. The front bank of windows opens up to Pearl Road and in spring a beer garden-style patio will emerge on the southwest side of the building.

The 7-barrel brewhouse, which is visible from the main dining room, is run by brewmaster Jerome Moore, who also happens to be a first-generation Polish American. Already there are a dozen house beers on tap.

“We brew all varieties, but with a focus on German beers,” Moore says. “We don’t want to discourage someone from coming because they don’t think we have a stout on tap or a hazy IPA.”


Flagship brews include the kolsch, marzen, stout and dunkel, which is described by Moore as a dark-style kolsch. Smoke Stacked is a rauchbier, a mildly smoky red ale. The house pours will be joined by hard seltzers and a guest sour and cider. Beers are served in flights, standard half-liter mugs and snifters for the higher-proof stuff. A wall in the main room is devoted to cubbies holding steins, the brewery’s version of a mug club.

“We’re calling it the stein mannschaft, which means stein team,” says Igor, adding that membership includes the stein, merchandise, discounts and a year-end party.

For those who pass on beer, there is wine and booze.

There is no plan to distribute the beer outside the neighborhood at this point, says the family.

“We have some interest around town, but right now we’re just focusing on providing the beer for the brewery and for the restaurant,” Igor explains.


The family has no concerns about the brewery cannibalizing business from the restaurant across the street.

“The main draw here is the beer,” notes Igor. “If people want a full meal, it’s at the Schnitzel Haus.”

Guests can look forward pub-friendly foods made with the same from-scratch mentality that has sustained Das Schnitzel Haus for more than 15 years. On the menu are house-made Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, meat and cheese boards, a lamb burger and a sausage platter featuring Djurin’s handiwork.

For now, Schnitz Ale Brewery is open 3-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3-11 p.m. on Friday, noon-11 p.m. on Saturday and noon-10 p.m. on Sundays. They plan to open for lunch in the coming weeks.