Chester Brewery Set to Open in July
Scott Hemrock, of Aurora, is bringing his brewing skills to Chester Township with Purpose Brew Works, slated to open this summer.
Scott Hemrock, of Aurora, is bringing his brewing skills to Chester Township with Purpose Brew Works, slated to open this summer.
“There’ll be a restaurant inside of it with a sort of staple menu and then some rotating specials,” Hemrock said. “I’ve got a five-barrel brew house, so we’re going to have 12 to 14 beers on tap that we make there on the premises.”
Hemrock — who is partnering with Terry Nagy, whose family owned the former House of Nagy restaurant in Parkman Township — hopes to start renovations at the brewery in March.
The restaurant, at 8737 Mayfield Road, is currently set to open in July.
“There aren’t really any other breweries in that area, you know, (on the) east side of Cleveland, over there,” he said. “So, I think … there’s a — in our opinion — a need, sort of a gap in breweries.”
Hemrock has won medals in home-brew competitions and has been brewing at his house for 12 to 15 years, he said, adding he did a collaboration with 8th Day Brewing Company in Auburn Township last year.
Hemrock wants to provide a place for the community to gather.
“We want to be very active in the local community and the schools and charity work and things,” he said. “And again, just like I said, being a gathering place, a hub for the community, essentially.”
Purpose Brew Works will provide a rotating menu of craft cocktails, as they’ll have a liquor license, Hemrock added.
“(There will be) live music, entertainment, trivia, you know, all sorts of things happening on a daily basis there,” he said. “We’re in the process now of … getting the plans to the building department to get approved for permits to start the work and things. So, we can do minimal stuff in there right now. I mean, we can, you know, paint and do some other stuff, but they won’t let us do … mechanical stuff, or, you know, HVAC or whatever.”
Hemrock is leasing a little over half of the building with the bottom two units, he said, adding he is giving up his 25-year-career in insurance to manage the brewery.
He’s had experience in the service industry throughout high school and college, he said.
“I own an insurance agency, but, you know, previous to that, in college and things, I worked in restaurants and worked in the service industry when I was in school and I’ve got a culinary arts background,” Hemrock said.
