There’s a new program of study on tap for Chattahoochee Technical College in craft beer brewing, and it will be the first college program of its kind in Georgia.
The Brewing & Fermentation Production Technology program at Chattahoochee Tech is slated to be up and running for the 2022 fall semester at the college’s North Metro Campus. This new program will be unique to Chattahoochee Tech, according to Dean of Business and Technical Studies Marcy Smith. No other two-year or four-year college or university in Georgia currently offers a brewing program.
“As the number of craft breweries has grown, so has the need for qualified employees,” said Smith. “Chattahoochee Tech has stepped up to address this need by researching and developing this new program of study.”
The craft beer industry in Georgia has experienced phenomenal growth in the past several years. There are now 136 craft breweries in Georgia, up from just 29 craft breweries for the state in 2012, according to Chattahoochee Tech Associate Dean Frances Carlson, who will oversee the operation of this new program at the college. Over the next year, an additional 43 craft breweries plan to open in Georgia. In urban areas as well as small towns, the craft beer industry in Georgia is booming. “These craft breweries aren’t saloons or honky-tonks,” said Carlson. “Instead, the modern-day craft brewery is a family-friendly, and often dog-friendly, place to eat, play games and socialize.”
Chattahoochee Tech’s new Brewing & Fermentation Technology program at the North Metro Campus will include a three-barrel brewing lab (3-BBL), a semi-automated canning machine, and lab equipment for quality control analysis. In order to enroll in this program, students will have to be at least 21 years old. Program courses will include fundamentals about brewing, distillation and fermentation. Additional coursework will include production, operations, safety and sanitation, brewery software, and associated process technologies. Students will have the option to earn an associate degree, diploma, or Technical Certificate of Credit.
