ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – It’s a four-hour drive from Kilmarnock to Roanoke, but it’s worth it for Myrna Temple and Sandy LaRussa-Donahue.

Both are students of Virginia Tech Roanoke Center’s Business of Brewing course.

“I kind of fell in love with the process of brewing,” said Temple. “It is very, very fulfilling.”

The class takes 15 students for five days every January and lets them work with local brewers to learn all the tricks of the trade.

“Things that we need to know as small business owners that we probably wouldn’t know without taking this class,” said Donahue.

Students come from all over the state to learn from Roanoke businesses like Big Lick Brewery, Golden Cactus, Parkway Brewing Co., and Twisted Track Brewpub.

“It’s an opportunity to showcase Roanoke,” said Will Landry, co-owner and brewer at Twisted Track.

Landry partnered with students from the program when he opened his brewpub, so teaching Tech’s course is his way of giving back.

“A lot of people helped us get this far and it’s only fair that we turn around and help people who are in the shoes we were in three or four years ago,” he said.

Donahue and Temple say they appreciate the camaraderie and that there’s no competition; the brewers who volunteer their time for the course are happy to share advice for success.

“There are so many breweries here and it’s a community,” said Donahue. “They’re very supportive of each other.”

“We go to different types of breweries, the distributor brewery, a big one, a small one, one with a restaurant, so you’re exposed to the different types of breweries,” said Temple.

Temple and Donahue go back to Kilmarnock at the end of the week to start working on opening their own brewpub, and they’ll be taking a taste of Roanoke with them.