Brooke Franus is ready to start pouring samples of Rogue products at Save-Mor Beer and Pop Warehouse in Squirrel Hill. (Mike Pound)
Craft beer can be mysterious. Intimidating, even.
One of the things I hope to accomplish with Beer Me is to make craft beer easier to understand and embrace. And that’s a mission I share my favorite SOBs.
Check out the hashtag on the sign — Brooke Franus is the chief edutainment officer of Stewards of Beer, a group that you’ve undoubtedly come across, even if you weren’t aware of it. Where? You’ve probably seen them handing out samples at beer distributors or grocery stores. You can find them pouring at local beer festivals. And you might even attend a craft beer education class taught by married co-owners Franus and Lee Schmidt — he’s the chief SOB and proud of it.
The business started as an offshoot of a group that held informal tasting sessions up at Elwood’s Pub in Indiana Township; friends in the business pointed out the need for experienced, educated people — stewards, if you will — to help guide consumers though the maze of breweries, brands and styles.
Stewards of Beer started a while back, but once Franus — who jokes that she married into the business — became the SOB’s only full-time employee, it’s taken off. The stewards meet with brand reps or conduct their own training sessions. And most of them have taken it upon themselves to earn Cicerone certifications.
But getting that knowledge isn’t the point. Sharing it is. Both Franus and SOB Dave Pursh said they relish the chance to help someone understand something about craft beer — what they’re drinking, the subtleties of what they’re tasting and what else they might want to try.
So the next time you find Stewards of Beer sampling, remember this — those people may be real SOBs, but they’re there to help you enjoy your beer.
