The Pursuit of Hoppiness
The checkered goodness of Ska Brewing
The Durango-based brewery is found in many-a-cooler, but a trip to the home station is required for beer enthusiasts.
By Jason Cipriani
As legend has it, Ska Brewing’s roots are ground in two teenagers who loved beer but weren’t old enough to legally purchase it.
Instead of asking strangers to break the law, the teens realized purchasing the ingredients and brewing beer at home was completely legal, and so they began brewing at home.
Over the years, Dave and Bill brewed beer, went off to college, and eventually found themselves back in Durango, ready to take on Big Beer.
In 1995 a third founder joined the group and Ska Brewing was officially born.
Fast forward to 2017, and the brewery has outgrown its production facilities, adding four 240 barrel fermenters outside of its massive world headquarters.
On a recent road trip to the Grand Canyon, I stopped by Ska Brewing to check the brewery that turned me into a fan IPAs with its sudsy Modus Hoperandi. I guess you could say, Modus Hoperandi was my gateway IPA.
The first thing you notice when pulling into the Ska Brewing parking lot is the staple black and white checker pattern outlining the building.
Inside looks like a typical taproom, with a bar, a tap menu, and a mix of private and community tables. Then you spot two giant shipping containers that have been converted into a restaurant and additional seating.
My kids were with me, and they naturally got hungry as soon as they smelled the pizza. After ordering a cheese pizza and some fries, I moseyed up to the bar to order a flight.
You can try five beers for five bucks; a fair trade in my book.
On the order form, I scribbled down Bump ’N’ Grind, Decadent, Hop Ivy, Modus Hoperandi, and a Berliner Weisse.
Before this point, I’d only had the two Modus variations the company offers. Modus Hoperandi, as I already covered, and Modus Mandarina.
Bump ’N’ Grind is a Coffee Cream Stout that uses coffee from Desert Sun Coffee Roasters. It’s not as smooth as I expected, with some bitterness from the coffee at the end, but overall it’s a solid stout.
Decadent is an Imperial IPA, weighing in at 10% ABV and 80 IBUs. I really enjoyed the Decadent, as it wasn’t overly bitter and it had plenty of hops in terms of flavor and aroma.
I’ve seen Hop Ivy, Ska’s pale ale, in local stores, never gave it a shot. I was wrong. It’s one of the better pale ales I’ve had. The bitterness and hops are well balanced, and unlike most pale ales, it’s smooth drinking.
Modus Hoperandi is still one of my go-to IPAs when nothing else is sparking my interest, and having it direct from the source was an enjoyable experience. IBUs are a bit higher than the Decadent IPA, but it’s incredibly smooth.
It’s widely available in town, so give it a try. Who knows, you may just end up liking IPAs after this one.
On the third floor of Ska Brewing is a 3.5 barrel test system, where the company experiments with different beer on a small scale and sells it only in the tap room. The Mod Project, as the company calls it, is primarily focussed on sour beers at the moment. Specifically, kettle soured beers.
One such beer that’s part of that project is the Berliner Weisse I enjoyed. Weighing in at a low 4.5% ABV, it’s tart and lemony all in one.
I didn’t have a bad beer during my time at Ska, and my kids loved the pizza. That’s an easy win in my book.
Durango has six active breweries, each one offering a different take on craft beer and worthy of a visit. However, Ska Brewing is a must visit.
On Tap: Starting April 12, Old Chicago will have a mini tour of beer for Cinco de Mayo. The tour will include Odell’s Pina Agria, Anderson Vally Cervesa Cream, and Avery’s El Gose.
However, more exciting than beers from those breweries is the fact that the Pueblo and Colorado Springs Old Chicago locations will have our very own Walter’s Brewing Pueblo Chile Beer on tap.
