Ska Brewing in Durango received some national recognition this week from Forbes Magazine for its unique past and latest ventures into the Front Range.
Ska and its sister company, Peach Street Distillers, were able to open the new Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder for one hour and 11 minutes before restaurants were shut down earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the article said. But it didn’t stop there: For the article, contributing writer Gary Stoller dove into the brewing company’s history, from its Volkswagen bus days to current digs.
“They didn’t mention it in the article, but it is our 25th anniversary. It’s a big milestone,” said co-founder Dave Thibodeau, in an interview Friday with The Durango Herald. “It was really neat to see that recognition in a story that actually did tell a little bit about our story and brought it to a point where it’s relevant today.”
When Thibodeau lived in the bus – which at the time was more desperate than cool, he said in the article – he and his partners were trying to make enough beer to get into beer festivals and to trade for free hotel stays. Now, the company is navigating the financial impacts of the pandemic and getting more efficient as it goes, the article said.
“The exposure there is cool. We get a fair amount of industry specific publicity, and obviously, a lot of stuff in Colorado, but it was really nice to see that article in Forbes,” Thibodeau said. “I had a lot of good feedback on my social media pages. ... People chimed in like, ‘I remember drinking your home brew in the basement!’”
Although the pandemic kept Ska from celebrating its 25th anniversary in September, the owners plan to hold a “double party of some sort” in 2021 to celebrate their 25th and 26th anniversary, Thibodeau said.
“Assuming there’s a bit of normalcy next fall ... we’re trying to put together something that might be really fun,” he said.
smullane@durangoherald.com