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Rick Semersky, owner of the historic Sterle’s Country House in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood, has big plans for the adjacent property. At present, the buildings at 1361 E. 55th Street house VIP, Semersky’s building exterior contractor company. But he’s been quietly working to redevelop much of that property.

“We’re repurposing the building next to Sterle’s that my company, VIP, is located in,” he explains. “We already have our first new tenant, Ann King from Borrow Vintage Rentals.”

Next up is Café 55, a breakfast and lunch café that Semersky hopes to open by late summer. He’s partnering on the project with Courtney Bonning of Bonbon Pastry and Café. Guests can look forward to coffee, pastries, sandwiches and salads.

Semersky also reports that he’s in the final planning phases of a new microbrewery that will take up residence in a 12,000-square-foot space in the Old School Cabinetry building. The 10-barrel brewery will feature a 75-seat taproom with a bar and patio.

“This will be an old-school brewery brewing pilsners and lagers — stuff that fits in with what we’re doing at Sterle’s,” Semersky explains. “You’re not going to find any crazy hopped-up IPAs with funny, stupid names.”

Semersky says that in addition to supplying beer for the onsite taproom, the brewery will supply neighboring Sterle’s, replacing the house beer currently brewed by Sprecher Brewery in Milwaukee. If all goes well, the beer also will be distributed to other bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.

Semersky currently is interviewing prospective brewmasters for the project and will travel next week to the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver to source brewing equipment. If all goes as planned, the brewery could be operational by the end of the year or the beginning of 2015, says Semersky.

This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2014.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

8 replies on “Sterle’s Rick Semersky Divulges Plans for St. Clair Superior Based Brewery”

  1. It’s a mistake not to brew any ales. I can understand the aversion to “crazy IPAs” but there are plenty of other basic ales that are lacking in Cleveland.

  4. This is notification to any investor involved with this brewery: Pull out immediately, you have a moron running this venture.

  6. If he does for beer what he did to Sterle’s old cabbage roll recipe, then go buy some PBR or Iron City. It will be better than what he will make. He messed up those cabbage rolls big time.

  8. Owner Rick Semersky does not pay his bills. He’s got a lot of nerve acting like he’s such a great guy from Cleveland. He stole from me by coercing me and my company to do work at his restaurant. Acted like a friend, smiled and patted me on the back every day and talked a good game about how much he loved our work while making false promises of more work he was going to give us down the road at a brewery he wants to build.

    Then stuck me for over $30,000.00. Never paid ONE PENNY for his job. I paid for everything to help fix up his ghetto building on 55th.

    Now I have a Lien on the building, and he’s smiling in the Plain Dealer about his good hearted inspirations and dreams.

    Really Rick?

    He has hurt my family and my company tremendously.

    I despise people that feed off of the hard work of others.

    I would never solicite his business and I would advise caution with anyone ever considering doing any work with him, for him or his company.

    Greg Mata, President

    Cutting Edge Decorative Concrete

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