Kris Turner, Assistant Keg Washer

Kris grew up in west Texas and graduated from the University of Texas El Paso with an Engineering degree. Right after college, he did some backpacking through Europe and happened upon some amazing beers – unlike any he’d had in the states – particularly in Germany, Belgium and Ireland. Kris's eyes were opened to the glory of beer! He originally came to Santa Barbara to pursue a graduate degree in Engineering at UC Santa Barbara, but once he started living here, he said, “I must find a way to stay in this beautiful place!” He found a job at a small start-up company making biodegradable food containers – way ahead of its time. That job allowed him to learn a great deal about product design and development, manufacturing scale-up, and travel to exotic places such as Missouri, South Carolina and Maryland (no offense to those places, they are just not SB!). Eventually, the startup went to a startdown and Kris transitioned to product development for a medical device manufacturer. He has focused on creating new things with novel techniques that satisfy unmet needs. Again, the job has allowed him to travel to some places with pretty great beers. Every time he tries one that tickles his fancy he says, “we should try to make something similar – but better!” Kris has been a home brewer for the last few years, has loved every minute of it, and is looking forward to the next steps with the Draughtsmen!