JASPER, Ind. – Jasper is the land of the Strassenfest and the Schnitzelbank — German food hot spots brimming with beer and bratwurst. But now there is a second Schnitz in Jasper, and although you can find plenty of beer and even a little wurst and kraut here, the new Schnitz Brewery and Pub is about American craft beer — with five of their own brews as well as a selection of microbrews from around the country — and pizza.
And not just any pizza, either. There is a special story attached to the Schnitz’s pie that stretches back over half a century.
In the 1950s, Rosie and Ed Rees, owners of Jasper’s late, great Calumet Club, were in Bloomington, Indiana, and tried a crazy new dish called pizza for the first time. Boy, they sure liked it. They decided this phenomenon would do well in Jasper so they worked up a recipe for sauce and thin crust they thought was similar to what they had eaten. It became a local favorite and retained a cult following even as pizza places became commonplace.
“My grandpa Larry Hanselman started the Schnitzelbank, and he was a really big fan of Rosie’s pizza,” said Schnitz Brewery and Pub manager Shelby Hettinger. “When Rosie sold the Calumet, the pizza recipe went with it. The person who bought it eventually closed the business and moved away. My uncle Alan wanted the pizza recipe, so they had to track the guy down.” … CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY AT COURIER PRESS
