Chad Yakobson

The Climb

The 2010 founding of Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project defined a narrow and technical lane: fermentation science, wild and sour beers, and oak maturation. Chad Yakobson has remained founder, owner, and brewmaster, keeping the brewery’s work aligned with that original set of questions rather than repositioning it around trend cycles. The development of the brewery has been a deeper reading of the same materials. Brettanomyces behavior, barrel influence, sour structure, and wild character make up the working vocabulary. The resulting beers place curiosity inside discipline: fermentation is allowed to shape the final expression, but not to excuse imprecision.

Today

Wild, sour and barrel-aged beers remain the center of practice at Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver, Colorado, where Chad Yakobson is founder and brewmaster and a guiding creative force. Brettanomyces and oak maturation continue to define the house language. The project’s stated mission links technical leadership with drinker education. In his own words: "The vision and mission of Crooked Stave is to be a quality leader in fermentation science and to continue to educate drinkers and bring them into wild and sour beers." The same framework extends to business conduct and environmental consideration. "Success isn’t just measured by the taste of the beer and how much we sell. It’s also based on how we do business and treat the environment." For the trade, those statements place the standard beyond flavor alone: fermentation literacy, access to wild and sour styles, and operating choices are treated as part of the work.

Signature

The beers named under Chad Yakobson include Get The Funk Out, Wild Wild Brett series, Nightmare On Brett (Aged in Leopold Bros Whiskey Barrels), Colorado Reserva Palisade Peach - Harvest 2017, and Serenata Notturna Blueberry (2016 Vintage). Within the Crooked Stave vocabulary, they mark recurring concerns in the practice: wild character, sour structure, barrel influence, fruit expression, and time as a shaping factor.

In Their Words “The vision and mission of Crooked Stave is to be a quality leader in fermentation science and to continue to educate drinkers and bring them into wild and sour beers.” “Success isn’t just measured by the taste of the beer and how much we sell. It’s also based on how we do business and treat the environment.”

Recognition

Technical recognition in brewing culture includes Master Brewers Association of the Americas — Best Paper (2011), received by Chad Yakobson. Recognition includes Best Paper (2011) for Chad Yakobson.