Since 1974, the Winemaker's Shop has been owned and operated by a team of studied and knowledgeable beer and wine lovers, Scott Francis and Nina Hawranick and now their sons, Alex and Ivan Francis. Scott honed his skills making batches of beer and wine. He gave workshops to the amateur Wine Guild of Columbus and taught at the Creative Arts Program through the Ohio State University. He has a brewers degree from the Seibels Institute of Brewing in Chicago, Ill., which he attended in 1988. Scott also did an apprenticeship at the Chicago Goose Island Brewery.

Shortly afterwards Scott (Left) was hired to set up the Columbus Brewing Co which is Columbus' first mircrobrewery (1988), he traveled to England to purchase the brewing equipment and oversaw its installation on site. Scott was CBC's brewmaster for 2 years before leaving to set up Barley's Alehouse #1 in downtown Columbus where he was the head brewer for 18 years.

Throughout the next 3 years (early 90's), Scott busily set up five more Central Ohio breweries including: Barley's second microbrewery (at the time Barley's Smokehouse, now Smokehouse Brewing Co),  New Albany Country Club, Medallion Country Club, Atwood Lodge (New Philadelphia) and Hide Away Hills (in Hocking County). Now, in 2014, he set up and is brewing at Temperance Row Brewing Co (Westerville) with his son Alex Francis.

His Alexander's Russian Imperial Stout was a three-time award-winner at the Real Ale Festival in 1997 and 2000 and was named after his firstborn.

ThisWeek (7/24/14):
Shop's Owners Helped Brew Up New Hobby In Columbus

614 Magazine (6/17/14):
King Of Beers

Short North Gazette (9/06):
Columbus' Original Brewmaster