For the past five winter terms, Miami University’s Supply Chain Craft Brewery Field Study has taken students on immersive learning experiences across top U.S. craft beer regions. The program includes visits to breweries in Portland, Oregon; Colorado’s Front Range; and since 2016, the thriving beer scene in Asheville, North Carolina.
Originally focused on major breweries and well-known craft beer producers, the program has since evolved to include a broader range of businesses and industry sectors. “We now engage with a much wider variety of breweries and industry partners—from the Brewers Association and yeast labs to hop farms, brewing equipment manufacturers, and distributors,” says Dr. Michael Conger, assistant professor of management and program coordinator.
The field study also now explores topics beyond supply chain logistics. With contributions from faculty like Conger, who specializes in entrepreneurship and strategy, the program offers students a more comprehensive view of the brewing industry. Conger credits the program’s founder, Dr. Rocky Newman, for his vision and leadership in growing the program’s impact.
“Our goal is to give students a deeper, interdisciplinary understanding of the brewing world,” Conger adds. “With diverse faculty and students, we can provide a richer educational experience.”
Student engagement has also increased. “They ask nonstop questions,” Conger notes. “The industry professionals we visit have become true partners, helping students dive deeper into what makes the craft beer industry so dynamic.”
One standout experience for Conger and his students was their 2019 visit to Asheville, a city he knew well as a judge for the U.S. Open Beer Championship. While he used his downtime to explore top breweries like Burial Beer Co., Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium, and Thirsty Monk, students such as Madison Cain discovered the unexpected depth of Asheville’s beer scene.
“I had heard of Hi-Wire Brewing but didn’t realize New Belgium and Sierra Nevada also had breweries in Asheville,” Cain said. “Before the trip, I associated craft beer mostly with the West Coast.”
Class visits included stops at New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues’ East Coast facility, Highland Brewing (Asheville’s oldest), White Labs, and Riverbend Malt House. Cain noted that Asheville’s scene felt “less saturated” than those in Oregon or Colorado, with more room for growth.
Conger was equally impressed. “The sense of community and collaboration among Asheville brewers is incredible,” he said. “At White Labs, we even walked into a Baltic Porter collaboration release with Hi-Wire and Riverbend. That kind of spontaneous celebration is rare outside of places like Bend or Fort Collins.”
Looking ahead to its sixth year, the program plans to deepen its partnerships and continue exploring new trends in beer production, business models, and collaborations. Conger views the craft beer industry as one of the most innovative and multifaceted business environments today.
“As an entrepreneurship professor, I love bringing students from different majors into this unique and exciting industry,” Conger says. “Miami University has long championed interdisciplinary, liberal arts education—and this program reflects that commitment. These experiences are exactly why students choose Miami.”
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Western North Carolina has evolved from a mountainous frontier dotted with dry communities into an international destination for craft beer drinkers. Long-time beer writer Anne Fitten Glenn penned this as a companion volume to her first book, Asheville Beer, An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing. This new history of ales and lagers includes the tales of formerly dry towns and counties revising their post-Prohibition regulations to welcome breweries. She relates how those breweries attract community, jobs, tourists, and dollars, as well as mixed emotions, legal conundrums, and entrepreneurial challenges. Glenn traces the history of Western North Carolina beer from the wild days of saloons, bootleggers, and Asheville’s first breweries, through one of the longest Prohibitions in the nation, to the craft beer explosion of the 21st century.