RadCrafted Emily Hutto RadCrafted Emily Hutto

Ska Brewing Peppermint Bark Stout Is Back

This seasonal Stout will be available at the brewery World Headquarters for Fresh Beer Friday on November 3— this year in Ska’s canned 16oz. 4-packs.

DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is ready for the holidays with the return of Peppermint Bark Stout, a Milk Stout crafted with peppermint bark from Durango local Animas Chocolate Company™. This seasonal Stout will be available at the brewery World Headquarters for Fresh Beer Friday on November 3— this year in Ska’s canned 16oz. 4-packs.

Fun fact about Peppermint Bark: it was invented by Williams Sonoma in 1998. The Animas Chocolate Company version of this popular holiday treat was the inspiration for Ska’s latest Stout experiment, brewed with actual peppermint bark (white chocolate, dark chocolate, and candy canes) in the mash. The beer’s sweetness is balanced with cocoa nibs, a hint of mint, and lactose that makes for a creamy, smooth finish. 

After this beer made headlines and heads turn in 2022, Ska is excited to bring it back for the second year. Peppermint Bark Stout will be available exclusively in Colorado in extremely limited quantities while supplies last. Find it at Durango’s Local First Book Launch Party on November 9 and at the Ska Brewing- Venture Snowboards Season Kickoff Party on November 10, both at the brewery World Headquarters. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Ska Brewing and the Peppermint Bark Stout. 

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.

Read More
RadCrafted Emily Hutto RadCrafted Emily Hutto

Ska Brewing Misses International Stout Day; Releases Peppermint Bark Stout In Time For The 2022 Holiday Season

Ska Brewing will give grown up’s a drinkable version of their favorite childhood holiday memories with the release of Peppermint Bark Stout for the 2022 holiday season.

DURANGO, CO— This holiday season, Ska Brewing will give grown ups a drinkable version of their favorite childhood holiday memories with the release of Peppermint Bark Stout. This Milk Stout, made with peppermint bark from Durango’s local Animas Chocolate Company™, debuts at the brewery World Headquarters on Friday, November 4. 

This new release marks a decade of Ska Brewing’s seasonal Stout experimentation– which has included Hibernal Vinifera, Autumnal Molé, Estival Cream, and Vernal Minthe Stout. The brewery’s highly decorated Steel Toe Stout dates back even longer, and holds medals in all of the major global beer competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival®, World Beer Cup®, Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival, European Beer Star, and the Australian International Beer Awards, among others. It goes without saying that Ska is all in on Stout. 

Now Ska’s research and development on Milk Stout style yields a new expression of the style that will hit shelves in perfect timing for Peppermint Bark Day on December 1, and holiday festivities in general. 

Peppermint bark was invented by Williams Sonoma in 1998. “Turns out we opened the brewery before peppermint bark was officially a thing, but the chocolate and candy cane combination goes back as long as most of us can remember,” says Ska Brewing Co-Founder and CEO Dave Thibodeau. “Doing R&D for this holiday ale brought home much nostalgia.”

True to Ska fashion, Peppermint Bark Stout is a product of local collaboration. It was brewed with actual peppermint bark (white chocolate, dark chocolate, and candy canes) made in Durango by the Animas Chocolate Company, owned by Marc Snider (who directed the infamous Brew Minions video) and his wife Carley since 2011. Its sweetness from peppermint bark and chocolate-forward malts is balanced with cocoa nibs and a hint of mint. The addition of lactose makes for a creamy, smooth finish. 

Peppermint Bark Stout will be available exclusively in Colorado in extremely limited quantities while supplies last. Find it on tap at Ska Brewing, and in canned, 12 oz. 4-packs that include a QR code linked to a playlist of Thibodeau’s favorite holiday jingles. This beer will be the first from Ska to be packaged with paperboard rings, supporting the brewery’s long-term effort to eliminate all plastic. Come spring of 2023, all of Ska’s beers will be packaged with these can holders. 

Animas Chocolate Company will also serve Peppermint Bark Stout as part of their alcohol and chocolate pairings for the holiday season. Their staff has selected the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookie, the The Nugget Truffle (a single origin 75% dark chocolate truffle made with the same cacao nibs incorporated into the Stout), and of course, their handcrafted peppermint bark, as pairings. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Ska Brewing and their holiday Stout. 

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.

Read More
RadCrafted Guest User RadCrafted Guest User

Living the Dream Brewing’s Festivus Fireside Barrel Aged Olde Ale is Back for the Season

A Festivus for the rest of us! It’s that time of year again, and Living the Dream Brewing is bringing back a festive favorite just in time for the holidays: their Festivus Fireside Barrel Aged Olde Ale.

LITTLETON, CO – A Festivus for the rest of us! It’s that time of year again, and Living the Dream Brewing is bringing back a festive favorite just in time for the holidays: their Festivus Fireside Barrel Aged Olde Ale.

Inspired by the classic Seinfeld episode, this beer is a delicious combination of old-world flavors and subtle sweetness. In the first step of a two step process, Festivus is brewed with English black treacle and aged a whopping 386 days in Premium Bourbon Barrels for authentic olde ale flavor. Then, it’s blended with a beer brewed with dark specialty malts, oats, and more black treacle. The combination of these two brews gives it a well-rounded, full body and complex flavor, all without sacrificing the oak, bourbon, and dark fruit character from the barrel aging.

“We have been making versions of Festivus Fireside Ale off and on since 2015,” said owner Jason Bell. “The core recipe has stayed pretty consistent, but we would play around with the wood treatments, and this year we really feel like it is our best version yet.” 

Rounding out at 9% ABV, Festivus is deceptively smooth and drinkable, with just enough of that warm, wood-aged flavor to heat you up on the frosty nights ahead.

Festivus Fireside is available in the tap room and in 12 oz cans for a limited time, so be sure to swing by and sip yourself some non-denominational holiday cheer while you still can. 

For more information about Festivus Fireside or Living The Dream Brewing, contact Emily Hutto hutto@radcraftbeer.com

ABOUT LIVING THE DREAM BREWING CO. 

Living the Dream Brewing is a craft brewery established in 2014 in Littleton, our home base for adventure in Colorado. Built on a foundation of brewing beer using only the finest ingredients, Living the Dream celebrates the people, places, and activities of the Centennial State. Live the life you've imagined, and join us at livingthedreambrewing.com.

Read More