Adam Draeger

Share Post

What’s your current position at your brewery, and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?

I am head brewer [at The Yak and Yeti brewpub in Arvada, Colo.] I left a job in engineering to attend Siebel. After 10 years of homebrewing, the hobby was definitely taking over my free time. My wife must have known that working all day at a brewery would give me more free time in the evenings and weekends, so she supported the career change wholly.

What’s new at The Yak and Yeti?

We have added a weekly beer release (this summer was flavored wheat beers using whole fruits and spices). I also started a monthly small batch series in September that will focus more on big beers like IIPAs, barleywines, and Belgians.

What’s the best part of being a part of the craft brewing community?

I love the camaraderie between our so-called competition. All of the other brewers in the Denver area that I’ve become acquainted with are willing to share yeast, answer questions, or help out a fellow brewer.

What do you like to do in your time away from the brewery?

I like to woodwork and am a bass player, usually in several bands, but I haven’t found one since moving to the Denver metro area.

What’s your favorite food and beer pairing?

IPAs and stinky cheese (usually blue cheese).

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?

It took me two years to complete, but I built a cedar strip canoe from raw lumber. The inaugural trip was down the Wisconsin River with my wife. We camped on an island where it met the Mississippi River and continued down the big M for a couple miles.

What’s your favorite beer that your brewery does not produce? 

Maudite by Unibroue.

What’s the most memorable travel destination at which you’ve had a chance to sample the local beer?

Praha, Czech Republic. We stumbled by accident onto a few brewpubs and I really enjoyed the Zlatopramen 11 that I had in a little beer garden a few blocks from our hostel.


Submit Your Member Profile

The Brewers Association would like to recognize as many small and independent U.S. craft brewers as possible, from bottling line technicians to brewers and CEOs.

Submit your profile today!