Beer Smart | A-B Tech's Craft Beverage Institute

Tourism officials want people to think of Asheville as Beer City, USA. Never mind that breweries now dot the downtowns of even the smallest of cities. Still, there are only a handful of schools in the country like Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast, on the campus of A-B Tech.

Today, we talk with Jeff “Puff” Irvin, the institute’s director. Every semester, people from throughout the South and far beyond study at the Craft Beverage Institute, many pursuing a career change. While the school teaches the facets of winemaking and distilling the gamut of spirits, this conversation largely focuses on beer. We talk about Irvin's approach to training tomorrow’s professionals in an industry under constant evolution and competition.