Consuming the Craft

As a young man, Kevin Sondey followed The Grateful Dead's rock band to learn about music and himself. The Grateful Dead not only provided him with great music—but also introduced h...

Sara Stender Delaney came to the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast at A-B Tech with a vision—an idea she wanted to morph and mold into something new: draft tea. A working m...

John Lyda is a full-time faculty member at AB Tech and is the thumb that grasps the educational hammer in our Brewing, Distillation, and Fermentation program. It’s the first two-ye...

How much beer do you need to entertain a room full of friends and family? How many kegs would you need to throw your next get-together or party? While the answer to these questions...

I often take on the task of trying exotic spirits, weird and wonderful flavors of craft beer, and new products in the beverage industry. You may be familiar with wheat bourbon, but...

What does it take to become a great mazer? Or brewmaster? Or winemaker? John Lyda—full-time instructor at A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast and meadmaker extraor...

When Lauren Turpin was in high school, she always thought about opening a sports bar or beer place, though she wasn’t sure where the interest came from. She later graduated from Ba...

Greg Hill has a deep passion for learning. Greg—the Head Cider Maker and Production Director at the Urban Orchard Co. in Asheville—is one of the first graduating cohorts of A-B Tec...

Pop quiz: the shape of a drinking glass can affect the flavor and aroma of liquor—fact or fiction? John Lyda and I put this question to the test. The brewmaster extraordinaire, Joh...

The man of the hour, John Lyda, is an instructor at A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. Before joining the program’s faculty, John served as Senior VP and Brewmas...

While Russ Karasch has been a cooper for over 32 years, he has been in the wood industry for more than five decades. Alongside his daughter, Heidi Korb, Russ founded Black Swan Coo...

Mike Roberts used to hate beer while he was in university. It wasn’t until he had a taste of pilsner during a visit to Prague that he had an epiphany: the drink tasted phenomenal, ...