Ska Brewing and Steamworks Brewing Release 2023 Faceplant For The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic

Brew day at Steamworks Brewing

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing and Steamworks Brewing Co. will release the 2023 batch of Faceplant on Friday, May 26 at both brewery locations. This year’s recipe will again include Tailwind Nutrition electrolytes.

This collaboration beer, the original joint effort, is a 27 year-long tradition between the two breweries. Last year, Durango local company Tailwind Nutrition got on board to celebrate 50 years of this iconic bike race with the addition of their orange blossom electrolytes in the recipe. “This year’s Faceplant is very similar to last year in that it’s an ale-lager hybrid that has a pleasant orange citrus flavor and aroma and a slightly orange hue. The citrus character is derived from the use of Mandarina Bavaria hops, Tailwind’s mandarin electrolyte mix, sweet orange peels and orange blossom honey,” says Steamworks Head Brewer Ken Martin. “At about 6% ABV it should be light, refreshing, and… hydrating?”  

"The Faceplant partnership is the essence of what Durango is all about," says IHBC Race Director Ian Burnett. "It really shows the amazing respect and support Durango has to bring together two breweries in the same town to create a beer. This support is the kind of fun partnership that has kept the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic going for 51 years." 

On Friday, May 26 local and visiting cyclists are invited to the Iron Horse Unofficial Bike Rally & Tapping Party at Ska Brewing at 4:20pm. The event includes a free commemorative pint glass, a Faceplant beer, tunes by DJ Mountain Menace, and a chance to win door prizes for all riders 21 and over before a 3-mile group ride to Steamworks Brewing. 

The 2023 batch of Faceplant Lager is available on-tap only at Ska and Steamworks for Iron Horse Weekend and while supplies last. 

Media inquiring about Ska Brewing can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT THE IRON HORSE BIKE CLASSIC 

The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is a 3-day cycling festival, which includes a 47-mile bike race and tour over two 10,000’ passes from Durango to Silverton, Colorado. The tradition began in 1971 when Tom Mayer challenged his brother Jim to see if he could ride the route faster than the train. Today the Iron Horse includes mountain bike and gravel events as well as numerous other cycling festivities around town. ironhorsebicycleclassic.com

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit skabrewing.com.

ABOUT STEAMWORKS BREWING COMPANY

Steamworks Brewing Company has been making award-winning beer in Durango for over 25 years. With 19 taps to choose from at their brewpub just one block off Main Avenue in historic downtown, there’s always a craft beer style available for every palate to pair with their eclectic food menu options. Visit steamworksbrewing.com to see what’s currently on tap and to view our extensive food menu.

ABOUT TAILWIND NUTRITION 

Celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2023, Tailwind Nutrition manufactures all-natural sports nutrition products that are free of GMOs, dairy, soy, and gluten, are easy to digest, and support an athlete’s fueling and recovery needs during exercise. Owned, operated and manufactured in Durango, CO, Tailwind Nutrition’s specially formulated drink mixes help athletes perform and compete at their highest level without the worry of food allergies or sensitivities. Tailwind is all you need. Really. For more information visit tailwindnutrition.com.

Pink Vapor Stew By Ska Brewing Is A 2023 Good Food Awards Winner

PORTLAND, OR– Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew was named a winner at the Good Food Awards ceremony on Friday, April 21. 2023 marks the second year that this beer has won this prestigious competition celebrating tasty, authentic, and responsibly made products.

Pink Vapor Stew was among 2,000 entries in the 2023 Good Food Awards. In January, the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3 announced it as one of 32 finalists in this year's beer category. Over the weekend, it joined 17 other beers in the winner’s circle. 

Inspired by smoothies and crafted with real fruits and vegetables, Pink Vapor Stew is a fan favorite— for its subtle tartness, tropical hop notes, and bright pink hue. It’s available year-round in 12oz. 6-packs across Ska’s 11-state distribution footprint, and in select international locations. 

Media inquiring about Ska Brewing can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Presents 2023 Snowdown Beer, Hornblower Horchata

DURANGO, CO– Hear ye, hear ye! This winter season, Southwest Colorado dwellers and questants can toast their goblets to A Shakespearean Snowdown with a small-batch, horchata-spiced ale brewed by Ska Brewing. Hornblower Horchata will debut at the brewery World Headquarters on Tuesday, December 20. 

Now in their 27th year of collaborating with Historic Downtown Durango on a special beer release for the occasion, Ska Brewing experimented with a gallimaufry of vanilla and cinnamon flavors in this egregious beer for the 43rd annual Snowdown celebration. 

“We are very excited to collaborate with Ska Brewing again this year,” says Linda Brockway, Snowdown Event Coordinator. “We invite everyone to the beer tapping so they can herald its greatness across the land of Durango.”

Hornblower Horchata will be available in 12oz. 4-packs through Snowdown, Friday January 27 to Sunday February 5, 2023, for which Durango has a gambold of events planned.  

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more details about Hornblower Horchata or Ska’s Snowdown partnership with historic Downtown Durango. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Fall is Here and Winter is Coming: Ska Brewing 2022 Mexican Style Lager Dark and Euphoria Pale Ale Releases

DURANGO, CO— The leaves are turning and the beers at Ska Brewing are getting darker in color. It’s officially autumn in Southwest Colorado, marked by the release of Ska’s two cold month seasonals: Mexican Style Lager Dark and Euphoria Pale Ale. 

Mexican Style Lager Dark hit Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango last week and is now available across its United States distribution footprint. Ska first introduced this dark lager in cans in January of 2021 to round out the winter months with a dark variant of the famed summer seasonal Mexican Logger. It’s a smooth and slightly sweet beer that’s balanced with mild bitterness, subtle caramel flavors, and a touch of roast on the finish. Just as Mexican Logger has come to signify the coming of spring in Durango, Mexican Style Lager Dark joins Ska’s long-established Euphoria Pale Ale as a lantern leading to winter.

2022 marks Euphoria Pale Ale’s sixteenth year in a can. This winter ale’s story begins at Purgatory Ski Resort for which the recipe was originally crafted, and travels to Silverton, Colorado where the brewery teams up with Venture Snowboards to create a custom, Ska-themed snowboard each year.  The brewery will announce this season’s snowboard giveaway details on social media. 

Euphoria Pale Ale returns to Ska on Thursday, October 13 with a celebration to include live music by Chuck Hank beginning at 5pm. The beer will be released to all of Ska’s distribution markets this week as well. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Ska Brewing. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing and Steamworks Brewing Craft Lager With Electrolytes To Celebrate 50 Years of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic

DURANGO, CO— Fifty years of Durango’s Iron Horse Bicycle Classic calls for an aptly named beer with a boost. 

Enter Faceplant. Ska Brewing and Steamworks Brewing Co. have teamed up annually on a beer to celebrate the Iron Horse, a tradition since 1997. This year in honor of the golden anniversary of Durango’s beloved bike race, the two local breweries collaborated with Tailwind Nutrition to craft a lager with electrolytes. They brewed this low calorie sipper with Mandarina Bavaria hops that balance out the addition of orange blossom honey. 

“Tailwind is excited for our first-ever nutrition and beer collaboration to take place during one of the biggest celebratory months in Durango, and with iconic local breweries," said Jeff Vierling, Co-Founder of Tailwind Nutrition. "We hope Faceplant lager brings riders and community members together in celebration of the 50th Iron Horse — while replenishing some electrolytes. We want to thank Ska and Steamworks for including us in this highly anticipated annual collaboration, and for keeping it close to home."

Faceplant is available in cans at Ska, Steamworks, and local liquor stores beginning Friday, May 6. Find it on tap at both breweries on May 27 for Iron Horse Weekend.

For more information about Faceplant, or to connect with the breweries for interviews, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. Media assets are available for download here. 

ABOUT THE IRON HORSE BIKE CLASSIC 

What started as a competition among two brothers has become a badge of honor that many Four Corners locals and visitors alike claim each year as they ride road, gravel, and mountain paths from Durango to Silverton and Ouray. Learn more about this infamous bike challenge at ironhorsebicycleclassic.com. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit skabrewing.com.

ABOUT STEAMWORKS BREWING COMPANY

Steamworks Brewing Company has been making award-winning beer in Durango for over 25 years. With 19 taps to choose from at their brewpub just one block off Main Avenue in historic downtown, there’s always a craft beer style available for every palate to pair with their eclectic food menu options. Visit steamworksbrewing.com to see what’s currently on tap and to view our extensive food menu. 

ABOUT TAILWIND NUTRITION 

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary this month, Tailwind Nutrition has been manufacturing all-natural sports nutrition products that are free of GMOs, dairy, soy, and gluten, are easy to digest, and support an athlete’s fueling and recovery needs during exercise. Owned, operated and manufactured in Durango, CO, Tailwind Nutrition’s specially formulated drink mixes help athletes perform and compete at their highest level without the worry of food allergies or sensitivities. Tailwind is all you need. Really. For more information visit tailwindnutrition.com.

Ska Distributing Brings Bruz Beers to Southwest Colorado

DURANGO, CO— Ska Distributing is excited to add Belgian-inspired Bruz Beers to the gamut of independent brands in its portfolio for Southwest Colorado distribution. The following beers will be unleashed across the region this week:

Diablo Colorado - Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale - Diablo Colorado is a traditional Belgian-style Golden Strong ale brewed with all Colorado sourced ingredients. A pale blond beer with a dense white head and esters of apple, pear, ripe peach and honey. This crisp, clean beer finishes dry and slightly bitter with lingering fruit. 9.5% ABV  Available in 16oz 4-pack cans.

Right Hand Man - Pilsner - Pilsner is hugely popular in Belgium. Right Hand Man is a premium Pilsner-style beer made with 100% malt, noble hops and a clean lager yeast. It is malty and refined with a lightly hoppy aroma and a clean, crisp lager finish. A classic!  5.2% ABV  Available in 12oz 6-pack cans.

Roodbruin - Flanders Red-Brown Ale - Roodbruin’s aroma is complex and tantalizing – a preview of what awaits. Stone fruit scents and maltiness with wild yeast notes and a touch of dried fruit give the beer a perfumy nose. The flavor is malty up-front with a prominent tartness and notes of sour cherries, blackberries, raspberries, red grapes, dates and dried fruit. There are hints of aromatic vinegar and earthy wild yeasts, and the balance of flavors is perfectly proportioned. The finish is long, dry and complex with lingering stone fruit and malt notes.  A blend of a special Bruz dark ale with Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste’s Cuvée Des Jacobins Prestige, Bruz Roodbruin is sophisticated, flavorful and complex. Bruz Roodbruin is the second in a series of three beers produced in collaboration with Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste in Kortrijk, Belgium. 7% ABV  Available in 500 mL cork and cage bottles.

Farmstead Funk - Belgian-style Saison - Farmstead Funk is a Saison aged with Brettanomyces wild yeast. Medium gold with a white head, its aroma is grainy with a light touch of summer fruits and funk. The flavor features a nice hop bitterness, bready malt, fruit notes of apples and apricots and a pleasant Brett funkiness. Generous carbonation gives it a refreshing quality that lasts into the long fruity and funky finish. 7.6% ABV  Available in 375 mL cork and cage bottles.

Till The Earth - Belgian-style Spelt Saison - A Classic Farmhouse-style saison made with the ancient grain Spelt, and Noble hops. Lots of fruity fermentation notes like Apricot and Peach, with a touch of white pepper spice. 5.7% ABV  Available in 500 mL cork and cage bottles.

Abbey Series Mixed 4-Pack - Belgian-Style Single, Dubbel, Tripel and Quadrupel - Traditional monastery brewing is built around four distinct beer styles. While not every monastery brewery produces all four, they represent the core of Trappist and Abbey brewing. Their names come from the relative amount of malted barley in each style. We are pleased to offer this 4-Pack containing examples of each of these beer styles. - ABV Range 3.8% - 10.5% ABV  Available in 16oz 4-pack cans.

There will be a kickoff party held at Ska’s World Headquarters this Thursday, March 10 beginning at 4pm. Various Bruz Beers will be available for purchase on tap. Come meet the Bruz team, including the owners, brewers and sales team.  

ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP

Ryan Evans, the owner of Bruz Beers, spent his college years in Durango, Colorado attending and ultimately graduating from Ft. Lewis College. He was enjoying the delicious beers Ska was serving up in the late 90’s, and always had a fondness for their beers as well as their edgy attitude.  

Bruz Beers has been hugely successful on the Front Range, with two tasting rooms in the Denver area as well as a growing wholesale distribution network. Looking to continue the growth, Evans states “I always wanted to bring our beers back to my old romping grounds of Southwest Colorado! It’s too far away to properly service on our own from Denver. With that being said, our partnership with Ska Distributing allows us to bring our brand full circle and return to the area. Working with friends is a bonus as well.”

For more information about Ska Distributing, Bruz Beers, or the distribution partnership between these companies, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT BRUZ BEERS

The acclaimed Bruz Beers was named “Top 25 Craft Breweries in Colorado” by Yelp, has won countless awards and medals, and it is dedicated to brewing traditional Belgian-style beers and innovative Belgian-inspired brews. It offers a wide range of Belgian-style seasonal and limited releases on tap at its two Denver area locations or for takeaway in crowlers, bottles and cans. Visit Bruz online at bruzbeers.com.

Bruz Beers takes their customers to Belgium on a yearly beer tour - that’s how serious these guys are about the style!  Looks like their next trip is this September. More details at bruzbeers.com/events.

ABOUT SKA DISTRIBUTING

Ska Distributing Company is the premiere craft distributor for Southwestern Colorado, committed to serving independently owned companies. In addition to Ska Brewing’s award-winning beers, The Hard Seltzer, and non-alcoholic Skagua, they distribute other beers from Telluride Brewing, Left Hand Brewing Co., Bristol Brewing, Stone Brewing, La Cumbre Brewing Co. Ska services on and off-premise accounts in Durango, Telluride, Ridgway, and Ouray. Find Ska online at skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Forecasts IPA Style Trend with Checkered Future IPA

DURANGO, CO– Old school hops meet modern varieties and techniques in a new age IPA that Ska Brewing will debut in cans across its markets this month. Checkered Future IPA is here. 

Long a house of IPA experimentation and the home to Colorado classic IPA Modus Hoperandi, Ska has released three hazy offerings in the past few years: Hazy IPA, Double Hazy IPA, and Tropical Hazy IPA. Now, Checkered Future bridges the gap from Modus to haze with this fresh style. 

“Checkered Future employs a blend of everything we've learned and the hops we've experimented with over these last few years of IPA recipe development,” says Ska Brewing Co-Founder Dave Thibodeau. We chose very specific hop varieties for their myriad hop aroma compounds that showcase particularly well with these newer hopping techniques, which has allowed us to create a relatively clear IPA with bright, juicy tropical fruit aromas yet with a bit of the classic West Coast-style, citrusy, piney perceived bitterness we’ve been missing in the hazy era.”

If the checkered past is a compilation of the bright with the dark, then Checkered Future is Ska’s answer to uncertain times: moving forward with innovation and acceptance that what’s to come is unwritten. “We haven’t named a beer beyond stylistic designation in several years, but this new IPA called for a name with a story,” says Ska’s Sales & Marketing Director Kristen Muraro. 

A Checkered Future release party will go down at Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango on February 15, featuring live music, a limited edition Ska and Venture Snowboard giveaway, and $2 pints of the new IPA. 

Find Checkered Future where you buy Ska Brewing beers, for the foreseeable future. This IPA will join Ska’s year round lineup of cans and be available across all of Ska’s markets. 

Media assets for Checkered Future are available for download here. Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with any questions.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Munich’s Oktoberfest is Cancelled Again, Ska Brewing German-Style Lager Returns Nonetheless

DURANGO, CO— Oktoberfest in Munich may be cancelled for the second year in a row, but Ska Brewing is here to fill the void— or at least fill pints of their award-winning German-style Lager while supplies last. This famed lager will tap at Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango on Friday, July 30. 

Although the cancelling of Oktoberfest because of COVID-19 leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth, this beer is anything but. This malt-forward, easy drinking craft lager is made with 100 percent German-sourced Munich and Vienna malts that yield amber-brown color with nutty, bready, toasty notes. It finishes clean with a neutral yeast flavor. Here’s what some of Colorado’s media outlets have to say about this beer: 

“Not only did this malty brew — nutty, clean and with just a touch of rounded sweetness — manage to set itself apart in a category that already includes a wide variety of stellar examples of Vienna-style lagers, especially in Colorado, but it won gold at the Great American Beer Festival®.” – Denver Westword

“A pointed caramelized-sugar, floral, and burnt-crust nose offers a hearty swagger. The sip follows through with big but dry well-toasted bread, an earthy hop through line, and a heavily toasted light bitter malt finish.” —  Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine 

The first batch of Oktoberfest that came out in a can in 2018 struck gold with the recipe at the Great American Beer Festival® in the Vienna-style Lager category. It has also been honored at the European Beer Star and The Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival. 

Ska will kick off Oktoberfest season Friday, July 30 at 4pm at its World Headquarters, where The Container Restaurant will serve German-style brats to boot. Next week, Oktoberfest lovers across the country can find this beer in six-packs of 12-ounce cans in one of Ska’s 11 distribution states while limited supplies last. 

For more information about Ska’s Oktoberfest, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Adds Double Hazy IPA to Can Lineup

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is doubling down on its hazy IPA options this week with the release of Double Hazy IPA. This new beer taps at Ska’s World Headquarters on Friday, March 12, and is now available in cans in all of Ska’s markets.

The full-bodied Double Hazy IPA pours golden orange and wafts piney aroma, with notes of pear and pineapple that balance out its bold hop profile. This 9.2% ABV IPA is brewed with Idaho 7, Azacca, and El Dorado hops. It’s the big brother to The Hazy IPA that came out in 2019, and the Tropical Hazy IPA, Breakthru Beverage’s first beer release after the pandemic outbreak that quickly became one of Ska’s most popular beers in 2020. 

“Everyone loves a good Double IPA— we get requests for this beer style all the time,” says Ska Brewing Sales and Marketing Director Kristen Muraro. “Making a hazy one seemed to round out our hazy line up just right.” 

Ska Double Hazy IPA is now available across Colorado and Ska’s eleven-state distribution footprint in 12-ounce canned 6-packs as a year-round SKU. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Ska Brewing and the new Double Hazy IPA. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing and Peach Street Distillers Launch Boomerang Barrel Program

DURANGO, CO— The first of Ska Brewing and Peach Street Distillers’ Boomerang series beers, Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout Barrel No. 394, is now available at Animas Wine & Spirits. The beer, a 17% ABV Imperial Stout, was aged in a Peach Street Distillers whiskey barrel hand selected by the owners of Animas Wine & Spirits as part of the brewery and distillery’s new small-batch program.

The new Boomerang series is one more way for sister companies Ska Brewing and Peach Street Distillers to collaborate with one another. Within this series the companies plan to invite key accounts to choose their own barrels at Peach Street for which specialty beers will age, to be served exclusively for sale at each respective business. “This is a great opportunity to do something unique in the craft world, where people from both productions teams can collaborate on styles and flavors to match the barrel character to the beer they will be filled with,” says Peach Street Director of Sales Dustin LeMoine. “Buyers at exceptional liquor stores know their customers better than anyone, and with their input we can put together a program that combines craft interests from all over the palate, keeps things Colorado local from grain to glass (and shelf), and tastes pretty damn amazing… Why wouldn't we?”

The first of the Boomerang Series beers is Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout Barrel No. 394, a 17% ABV Imperial Stout. This is the highest ABV beer that Ska Brewing has brewed in almost 24 years of business.

Currently in the works for the Boomerang program are a prickly pear sour ale in Peach Street Anjeo-aged Dagave Gold barrels, several twists on giant imperial stouts in various Whiskey barrels, an Imperial Maple Brown. “This is just the beginning,” LeMoine adds. “Ska Brewing and Peach Street Distillers are focused on elevating the game of barrel aging in Colorado.”

To learn more about Ska Brewing and Peach Street Distillers’ Boomerang program, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen awardwinning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Celebrates 20th Year of Mexican Logger

DURANGO, CO— The always anticipated release of Ska Brewing Mexican Logger is possibly premature with Purgatory Mountain under 10 feet of snow, but here regardless. For twenty years now, this beer’s release has served as Durango’s unofficial kickoff into springtime. 

Mexican Logger was Ska’s first session beer when the recipe debuted in 1999. It became Colorado’s first craft lager in a can in 2011, and then won back-to-back Great American Beer Festival® awards in the International Style Pilsner category in 2015 and 2016.

Ska Mexican Logger is crisp, clean, and refreshing — made for hot afternoons with a side of lime. The beer is a crushable 5 percent ABV, and brewed with a lager yeast strain from Mexico City. That same yeast strain now ferments Ska’s Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager as well.  

Find Mexican Logger on tap and available to-go at Ska Brewing on Wednesday, March 20. Durango-based “Western garage” band Lawn Chair Kings will serenade the tasting room with skank-inducing rock-country-punk hybrid tunes at 5pm. 

Mexican Logger will be available through spring and summer in canned 6-packs across Colorado, Arizona, Southern California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Utah.

For more information about Ska Brewing or its beloved Mexican Logger, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Releases Official Beer of 41st Annual Durango Snowdown

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing has teamed up with Snowdown, Durango’s premier winter celebration, to create a sure-fire cure to your cabin fever. Snowdown Comic Excelsior-Style Amber Lager will be available in the Durango area on draft and in limited 6-packs of 12 oz. cans beginning Friday, January 4. 

The Beer

Snowdown Comic Can was brewed to celebrate and commemorate the 41st Annual Snowdown and coincide with the 2019 theme, A Comic Con Snowdown. An amber lager packed with roasted, malty sweetness— Snowdown Comic Can is expertly balanced with a dry bitterness from just the right touch of noble and citrus hop aromas and weighs in at sessionable 5.3% ABV and 28 IBUs.

Snowdown Comic Excelsior-Style Amber Lager will be released on draft and in cans at Ska’s Durango World Headquarters on Friday, January 4 at 5pm. Guests can buy two cans for $5 at this event, which will also feature special giveaways. Capes are encouraged.

The Celebration

Durango has been hosting a Snowdown celebration each winter for over 40 years. More that 100 events and activities are crammed into a 5-day window (January 30- February 3). Beard growing contests, joke off, hot wing eating contest, beer plunge, outhouse stuffing and a light parade are all on the agenda. The festival spreads across town, with many local businesses hosting celebrations and events.

For more information on Snowdown Comic Can and Ska Brewing contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Last Minute Liquor Store Luck Leads to Ska GABF Gold

DURANGO, CO— Over the weekend, OG craft lager brewery Ska Brewing was awarded a gold medal for its Oktoberfest in the Vienna-Style Lager category at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival, but not without a little last-minute drama.

Ska listed their newly released Oktoberfest when filling out the original festival entry form, but were caught off-guard when it came time to ship the competition beers and they had none.  “The beer was so popular that we sold through it before we had a chance to hold any back to ship,” said Kristen Muraro, Sales and Marketing Director at Ska. “I had to run to the liquor store to buy one of the last 6-packs in Durango to ship to the competition.”

Ska’s Oktoberfest is crafted with 100 percent German-sourced Munich and Vienna malts that impart nutty, bready, toasty flavors, all balanced by Noble hops.  It finishes clean and crisp. Ska are proud producers of Colorado’s first craft lager in a can, Mexican Logger, and as Muraro notes, the Oktoberfest was a natural addition to Ska’s portfolio; “this classic style really took hold in the Americas when German-speaking immigrants brought their recipes and brewing practices to Mexico in the mid-19th century.”

Ska Oktoberfest is still available while supplies last on tap at the brewery’s World Headquarters in Durango, and will return again for the fall season in 2019.

Contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Ska Brewing or their new, award-winning Oktoberfest craft lager.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, Pink Vapor Stew, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Gets Oktoberfest Act Together; Rolls Out German-Style Lager in Cans

DURANGO, CO—  Twenty years ago a friend told Ska Brewing’s founder Dave Thibodeau that Ska music was simply Polka gone bad. “It was a zinger,” he says, “And I had no comeback until now.” 

That comeback is Oktoberfest Lager in a can. The brewery will release its German-Style Lager in canned 6-packs for the first time at its World Headquarters this Friday August 3. The beer will be available seasonally, encouraging skanking at Oktoberfest celebrations across Ska’s distribution footprint while supplies last. 

Ska’s Oktoberfest is crafted with 100 percent German-sourced Munich and Vienna malts that impart nutty, bready, toasty flavors, all balanced by Noble hops. It finishes clean and crisp. 

This beer’s label sports the Headless Horseman (a Ska-themed skull-less cowboy, really) with a traditional blue and white checkerboard Bavarian flag as the backdrop.

“We appreciate and respect good, clean lagers because we know the care that goes into fermenting them,” Thibodeau says. Home to one of the country’s first craft lagers in a can, Ska’s brewing team crafts its seasonal Mexican Logger in warmer months and craves it all winter long. "This year we’re stepping up our seasonal lager game with this traditional Oktoberfest,” he adds.

On Friday, The Container Restaurant at Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters will serve house pretzels with Rude Boy Lager mustard, Pinstripe Red Ale brats, and house sauerkraut. Pints of the new Oktoberfest Lager will cost $3 each. 

Six-packs of 12-ounce cans of Oktoberfest will be available across Ska’s distribution footprint beginning next week and seasonally while supplies last. 

For more information about Ska’s new canned Oktoberfest, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Breweries Across Colorado Raised More Than $28,000 on Save The San Juans Saturday

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is proud to announce that the breweries who participated in the Save The San Juans Saturday fundraiser for Fire 416 relief raised more than $28,000 for Durango’s Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). 

Save The San Juans Saturday was initiated by Ska Brewing to catalyze statewide brewery support of fire relief efforts in Durango last month. The Colorado Brewers Guild, more than 25 brewing companies, and local bars and restaurants joined the effort. 

“With fifty percent of the fire contained, evacuees (including some of our employees) have returned to their homes and the National Forest is open again— but it’s not exactly business as usual,” says Ska Brewing Founder Dave Thibodeau. “Now more than ever it’s an important time to spend tourism dollars in Durango. We’ll be here with cold beer when you arrive.” 

Fire relief efforts continue at Ska Brewing this month through Token Tuesdays. CERF and the Durango Food Bank are the recipients of this month’s donations. Customers receive a token for each beer on Tuesdays, and they can choose which charity to donate their token to. At the end of the month Ska will write a check to both organizations, $1 for every token.

For more background information on Save The San Juans Saturday, visit radcraftbeer.com/news/savethesanjuanssaturday.

For more information about Ska Brewing, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Decks Out World Headquarters Roof With 223 Solar Panels

photo by Shaw Solar

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is excited to announce the installation of 223 solar panels courtesy of Shaw Solar at its World Headquarters, just in time for Summer Solstice. These new solar panels will generate enough energy to brew approximately 545,000 pints each year. 

The brewery has partnered with Durango’s Shaw Solar to install a grid-tied solar power system on as much of the surface area of its roof as possible— 68 kilowatts from 223 panels to be exact. 

These new solar panels join the insulation in the brewery’s walls made out of blue jeans, the bar and tables made from bowling alley lanes, and grass and flowers quenched by recycled water at Ska’s World Headquarters as part of the company’s long-term sustainability plan. They will provide about a quarter of the brewery’s electricity. The rest is wind-powered. 

“This project with Shaw was a long time coming,” says Ska Founder Dave Thibodeau. “We’ve always aligned our company mission with sustainability efforts, especially those that directly impact Durango. Now we can proudly say that our independently owned craft brewery is independent from the grid.” 

Ska Brewing’s new solar panel installation is now complete, and brewery guests can celebrate at this evening’s Sol-BQ event at World Headquarters with some live punk/ska music from Warsaw Poland Bro that begins at 5pm.

If you have questions about Ska’s new solar panels, or any of its sustainability initiatives, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

ABOUT SHAW SOLAR

Shaw Solar is Durango's leading full-service solar contracting company, specializing in both residential and commercial projects. Known for their creative solar solutions, Shaw Solar has spent the past two decades bringing "Solar Power to the People", and as a result has installed roughly half of the solar in our area, including LPEA's first grid-tied system back in 2001 and first Solar Garden in 2015. Learn more at shawsolar.com. 

Ska Brewing Initiates Save The San Juans Saturday on June 23 to Support 416 Fire Relief

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing has organized Save the San Juans Saturday to support relief efforts for the 416 fire in Durango. This Saturday June 23, breweries across the state are encouraged to donate funds from pint sales to Durango’s Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). The fundraising goal for the fund is $500,000.

This Saturday, June 23 one dollar from every pint sold at Ska Brewing will be donated to CERF. The brewery has initiated Save The San Juans Saturday to catalyze statewide brewery support. More than 25 brewing companies, bars, and restaurants have joined the effort. 

Odell Brewing will donate $1 from every pint of Colorado Lager sold in its Fort Collins and RiNo Denver homes to fire relief on Saturday, too.

From now through Saturday, one dollar from every Oskar Blues pint sold at the Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont and Oskar Blues Boulder taprooms will support the fund. All sales of CANundrum mixed 12-packs sold to-go from Oskar Blues’ Boulder and Longmont taprooms will be donated as well. “Oskar Blues and SKA are cut from the same unconventional ColoRADo cloth and have built our breweries in places we love to play in the outdoors.  Hell, you can’t spell oSKAr without SKA.  We’re proud to help lead the charge in helping their community respond to the 416 fire with a week of fundraising at our taprooms,” says Chad Melis, Marketing Director for Oskar Blues Brewery.

From now through the end of June, New Belgium Brewing is matching tips and donations in its Fort Collins tasting room.

The current list of companies participating in Save The San Juans Saturday is on the following page. All fundraiser details are listed here. Breweries interested in hosting events or fundraisers can email kristen@skabrewing.com for more information.

For more information about Ska Brewing or its fire relief efforts, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Fight Fire 416 With Beer: Ska Brewing Donates Beer To Stimulate Durango Economy

DURANGO, CO— Today Ska Brewing donates the equivalent of a keg of beer to almost every beer-serving establishment in Durango and Silverton, Colorado in response to the 416 fire. These donations are intended to support beer tourism this summer that will help to keep locals employed. Ska is also encouraging breweries across the state to host fundraisers on Save the San Juans Saturday, slated for June 23.

“The San Juan National Forest is currently closed, our local open space is closed, and the train isn’t running,” says Ska Brewing Founder and long-time Durango resident Dave Thibodeau. “We’re a tourism economy and we lean heavily on the busy summer months, so we all suffer from the fires and subsequent closings. We don’t have cash to give in support, but we do have beer— and lots of it.” 

Ska Brewing has accordingly donated the equivalent of a keg of beer to almost every on-premise account in Durango and Silverton, and two cases of beer to each off-premise account to support beer tourism and awareness of 416 fire relief efforts. “We want drinking Ska beer to be one more way you can support this cause, so we made it available absolutely everywhere in town,” Thibodeau says. “Beer itself won’t put this fire out, but damnit I’d hook up the world’s longest hose to one of our tanks if it did.”

Durango and Silverton residents and visitors can help fight fire with beer by purchasing Ska beers from these establishments, and continuing to spend tourism dollars through summer months. 

Breweries across the state have volunteered to support 416 fire relief. In collaboration with Oskar Blues Brewery, efforts are underway at Ska Brewing to organize Save the San Juans Saturday. Next Saturday June 23, breweries across the state are encouraged to donate funds from pint sales to the Community Emergency Relief Fund. This organization has raised more than $80,000 for fire relief, and hopes to raise $500,000. Breweries interested in participating can email kristen@skabrewing.com for more information.

Cheers to Ska’s friends at Durango Brewing, who are donating $1 from every pint sale between June 15 and 22 to the Wildland Firefighters Foundation. 

“There are a lot of great efforts underway to support this effort. We felt we could have the most impact by supporting the businesses that have supported us,” says Thibodeau. “We want to keep people employed this summer.” 

For more information about Ska Brewing or its fire relief efforts, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Announces Anniversary Music Lineup, with Headliner Big D and the Kids Table

photo courtesy Big D and the Kid's Table

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing will host its 23rd anniversary on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Thirty five of Ska’s closest brewery friends will pour specialty beers at this event, which will feature music headliner Big D and the Kids Table. Tickets to Ska’s anniversary party go on sale June 11 at 9am MST via Brown Paper Tickets and at the brewery while supplies last.

This annual beer and music festival at Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters (225 Girard St, Durango, CO 81303) sells out every year. This year’s guests can look forward to some gritty, witty ska-punk-stroll-dub anthems by Big D and The Kids Table out of Boston, as well as performances by the Doped Up Dollies and a yet-to-be-announced third band. 

“It’s our goal to collaborate with a breadth of ska-inspired bands, and on year 23 we hope to bring some fresh sound to town” says Ska Brewing Founder Dave Thibodeau about Big D and the Kids Table, who brings their lively sound to Durango this fall. “We are excited to have these guys and gals play at the brewery for the first time.” 

This anniversary celebration will also include pours from Telluride Brewing, Left Hand Brewing, Stone Brewing, Marble Brewing, and more than 30 others, as well as special beer releases from Ska. Tickets cost $45 per person and includes a commemorative pint glass, tasters of all of the beers and live music, of course. All proceeds for this celebration go to La Plata Open Space Conservancy.

For more information about Ska Brewing or its infamous anniversary celebration, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, Rue B. Soho and the Mod Project— beers with varying levels of tartness to complement the blend of local fruits used in producing them. For information (a lot of it), music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

ABOUT BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE

Big D and the Kids Table has paved their own way spreading their music to The States, England, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Australia and South East Asia since their beginning in 1996. Starting as a ska-punk band they have released more than 13 albums ranging styles of dub, thrash, reggae and their own concoction Stroll: hopscotch, double-dutch, northern soul. Find the band online at bigdandthekidstable.com.

Ska Brewing Now Distributing Telluride Brewing Beers in Durango

Telluride Brewing has partnered with Ska Brewing Company on its Durango distribution. Telluride’s beers are now available at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores in Durango and in surrounding areas— and at Ska’s tasting room every once in a while, too.

“You might think the idea of another production brewery in the Southwest corner of the state would feel like competition, but Ska welcomed us with open arms even before we were open,” says Telluride Brewing President Tommy Thacher. “As we focus more on production there was no better fit in a distribution partner than our big brother Ska, who is is engrained and much more present locally than we could have been before.” 

“We have been enjoying Telluride’s high quality, consistent beer since their start,” adds Ska Brewing CEO Dave Thibodeau. “We are stoked to have more of it around, and more excuses to drink beer with our friends from Telluride.” 

Telluride Brewing Company sells cans of Face Down Brown, Tempter IPA, Fishwater Double IPA, Whacked Out Wheat, Bridal Veil Rye Pale Ale and Russell Kelly Pale Ale, as well as draft-only flavors in its distribution footprint. Telluride’s portfolio is available throughout the rest of Colorado through Elite Brands. 

For more information about Ska Brewing or its distribution arm, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Ska Brewing Company is the premiere craft distributor for Southwestern Colorado. In addition to their own award-winning products they distribute for other breweries such as Left Hand, Stone, Marble, La Cumbre and several others. Ska services on and off-premise accounts in Durango, Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray, and Pagosa. Find Ska online at skabrewing.com.

ABOUT TELLURIDE BREWING

Telluride Brewing Company crafts gold-medal beer in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Brewed with premium malts and worthy hops, the beers it produces are distinct yet classic. In just six years, the brewery has grown from a local favorite to a state-wide sensation, serving up its beers in kegs and cans throughout Colorado. Telluride Brewing Company has earned accolades for its Whacked Out Wheat at the World Beer Cup® (2015) and Great American Beer Festival® (2015) and for its Face Down Brown at the World Beer Cup (2012) and the Great American Beer Festival (2012 & 2014, 2015). For more information, visit telluridebrewingco.com.