For some of us there is a pretty clear cut connection between Ska music and drinking beer. With my Czech background I guess the association is even easier.
So what happens when you combine an interest in Ska music with Beer Brewing ? Well you form the Ska Brewing Company - a pretty interesting concept eh ?
Their slogan says "It Takes Characters to Brew Beer with Character" and I guess they're right. I spoke to Dave from the Ska Brewing Company about their venture.
How did the Ska Brewing Company start ? Did any of you have any experience in brewing beer before you started this venture ?
Bill and I started brewing beer at home because we were too young to buy beer legally. So I guess initially we got into it to get tanked. After learning a bit we began to appreciate some of the finer beers so we coupled our drunkenness with an accelerating palate and a growing interest in the history of beer. Anyhow, this entire time (about 10 years) we were completely into ska. We used to bottle beer for our friends and write "Ska Brewing Co-Bill's Kitchen, Denver, CO" on all of our silly-ass, yet offensive makeshift labels. I don't think most of our friends even knew what ska was. Anyhow, we quit our crap jobs and started making beer professionally.
How do you come up with the recipes for your beers ?
Matt (formerly a brewer at another brewery and now a partner of ours) and Bill and I usually come up with our own recipes for a certain style of beer - following traditional style guidelines, and then we start drinking and comparing until we have a pretty good idea of our final recipe. Then we plug in a few quick formulas and go for it.
What volumes do you brew ?
Not much. 7 barrels at a time about 5-6 times a week.
Where is your beer sold ?
Mostly in this region.
Where the hell is Durango ? The Ramones have a song "Durango 95" - is that the same place ?
Durango is in the Southwest corner of the state of Colorado--in the U.S. I think the Ramones are talking about Durango, Mexico. There is a Durango in Spain as well -They had a meeting of the 3 Durangos here a few years ago and there's a funky little plaque in the town park. I don't know what in the hell they might have talked about.
What's the local Ska scene like ?
Durango itself is a strange, secluded cow town of only 13,000 people in the city limits, so the ska scene is twisted here. There is a college here, so that's good. You're as likely to have people two-steppin' as skankin' at a show, but cowboys drink a shit load of beer, so I'm a fan. (you must be wondering why in the hell we live here. I have to tell you that it's an incredibly beautiful little mountain town with tons of mountain biking, kayaking, snowboarding and climbing.)
What are some local Ska bands ?
No ska bands in Durango, but the closest cities have quite a few. Giant Steps, the Concentrators, and 3-Ball Combo are from Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Phoenix, Arizona has Kongo Shock, Dave's Big Deluxe and Warsaw. We do have a killer, noisy-ass, punk band known as Smut Vendor.
Kongo Shock model your T-Shirts - how did that come about ?
We don't have our own venue, but we do try to promote a lot of ska shows here. Kongo Shock was one of the first bands we hooked up with. We've since become good friends. We enjoy it when bands come out to the brewery and can match us pint for pint before they go play. That makes for some silly skankin'. They're also helping us right now with a ska brew compilation CD of ska/beer tunes. Send some Australian bands our way.
Who are your favourite Ska bands ?
Going through the eras I'd have to say Prince Buster, The Skatalites, Laurel Aitken, The Selecter, Specials, Deltones, Bim Skala Bim, Buck-o-Nine, Kongo Shock, Pietasters.
Have you heard any Australian Ska ?
Unfortunately I haven't heard much Australian ska - you should send me some. I haven't heard enough Japanese ska either.
Have you had any requests for your beers from Ska fans/Beer Collectors from overseas ?
Quite a few, actually. One guy wrote us a few days ago from Australia hoping to swap some U.S. ska tapes for Aussie ska tapes. Never heard back from him. And, as a matter of fact, we get a shit load of requests from collectors in the Czech Republic. We can't really ship the beer, but we try to accommodate everybody else.
Have you tried any Australian Beer ?
We have these ridiculous Fosters commercials over here that bug the crap out of me. Some guy gets crushed and mangled by a huge boulder and says "ouch" and a voice-over in an Australian accent says "Australian for 'pain' " and then they show the Fosters can and he says "Australian for 'beer' ". I'm sure they'd bug the crap out of you too but I think they're made simply to market to us morons. Anyhow, that's the available beer here and it's fucking made in Canada.
I do like Sheaf Stout from Carlton & United (I think they brew Fosters as well). You guys also boast the sparkling ales, none of which I've had the pleasure to try. From what I understand, Cooper's in Adelaide is the place I need to get to. I think I'll go see if I can find anything else from Australia when I'm done with this. And, Hey! That's right now.
The Brews
Pinstripe Red Ale
Ten Pin Porter
True Blonde
Yeti Face Plant Ale
Snowdown'97 - Alien Ale
Ranking Full Stout (Seasonal)
Buster Nut Brown (Seasonal)
545 Turner Drive
Durango, Colorado
USA
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