If you’ve been spending more time on social media this year, you’ve likely come across Em Sauter’s brightly colored, eye-catching comics of beer, hops, and more. Shared daily on her social media accounts, Sauter’s beer-themed illustrations are not only adorable, they’re educational.
An Advanced Cicerone, beer educator, and award-winning cartoonist, Sauter has created her own unique style of what she calls “visual beer education” over the past 10 years of producing Pints and Panels. She pens cartoons for beer lovers of all levels, from simple illustrations highlighting the ingredients that make beer styles unique (the #BeerStyleSimple series) to deep dives that detail the level of knowledge required for the Master Cicerone exam (the highest qualification offered by the Cicerone Certification Program, for which Sauter is currently studying).
Working to combat misinformation and bust beer myths, Sauter researches her illustrations in detail and freely shares all of her work in the educational archive on her website, allowing it to serve as a reference for anyone looking to learn more about beer in a fun and accessible way. Just as committed as she is to sharing the right information, she also knows there’s no wrong choice when it comes to beer. She frequently celebrates old favorites in her #BeersImGladExist series, inspired by the Pints and Panels motto, “Drink what you want,” a refreshing refrain in an industry often obsessed with hype. This fall, Sauter announced that her second book will be published by Brewers Publications in 2022, so expect plenty more visual beer education to come.
Words,Natalya Watson