Ska Oktoberfest German-style Lager

 Ska Oktoberfest German-style Lager.

6.1% ABV, 22 IBU. Ska Brewing, Durango, Colorado.

It is January 1, 2023 and I am determined to empty the fridge. It is January 1 and I will take notes on a can I should have had 2 months ago. This was the last 6-pack of Oktoberfest I bought for the season, and I will still blog about, out of season or not. 

Clear, amber hued, slim white head.

In the nose: herbal, malty, sweet, caramely. Right on for a märzen. 

In the mouth: crisp, clean, slightly sweet. Grips the palate with flavor, then glides easily away. Earthy, nutty, toffee-ish, classically German. Masterfully märzen. Medium bodied, easily, heartily consumed.

I had the first five in rapid succession, enjoyed urgently. The sixth sat in seclusion, long out of fashion. Still good, still tasty. Go seek it out when it returns in eight months or so. 

A malty lager with an amber-brown color imparted by nutty, bready, toasty Munich and Vienna malts. With a clean, neutral yeast flavor–it’s all about the malt.

Ska Checkered Future IPA India Pale Ale

 Ska Checkered Future IPA India Pale Ale. 

7% ABV, Ska Brewing, Durango, Colorado. 

Slight clarity, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: citrus and pine all the way, lemon and grapefruit in charge.

In the mouth: moderate bitterness, boatloads of juicy. Medium bodied, easy drinking. Hop attack pleasantly pleases the palate. 

And now the words that surround the top of the can: Uncertain. Bright. Recycle. Future. TNG. Unwritten. Recycle. Era. (Or is it ERA?) Optimistic. Upbeat.Recycle.

Okay, recycle, I get it. 

A relatively clear IPA with bright, juicy tropical fruit aromas and a bit of classic West Coast-style citrusy, piney bitterness.

Ska True Blonde Ale

Ska True Blonde Ale. 5.3 % ABV, 22 IBU. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Ska likes the random verbiage around the top of the can, just like Oskar Blues and others. It's a thing. This time: "Bee. Float. Recycle. Ska-B-Q. Play. Recycle. Picnic. Rally. Recycle. Adopt. Noodlin'. Recycle. Indie." Okay, we get it, we get it. Recycle! Adopt! Ska-B-Q! Whatever that means....

Clear, bright golden, solid slab of ivory head.

In the nose: soft, faintly hoppy, slightly grainy, a little floral.

In the mouth: A touch of juicy. Lightly fruity. Smidge of hops. Modicum of malt. Smooth, light and tasty. Honey-is. Expertly drinkable. Very lean in the bitterness department, but holding in more than usual for the style. It's a much more substantial version than we normally see. And I don't mind that one bit. I can drink this one, and not complain too much

A crisp Blonde Ale. Golden in color, medium in body—she’s brewed with the help and the honey of Durango ’s Honeyville bees.

Light enough not to overwhelm tasty greens regardless of dressing. Works well with delicate fish. Pleasant accompaniment to lobster, clams, shrimp and crab – great w/ lobster bisque. Thirst quencher, works well with spicy/hot foods.

Ska Brewing MoSka Mule Ale with Ginger & Lime

Ska Brewing Moska Mule Ale with Ginger & Lime. 6 % ABV, 7 IBU. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Clear, bright golden, slim white head.

In the nose: Lime starts it off. Quite limey. Then, ginger comes on board. Nice. Now, we have it.

In the mouth: Boom! There it is. Powerful stuff. Tart and spicy. Ginger and lime doing the trick. Light bodied, easy drinker...if you like those flavors. This would be a one and done, for me. One of those gimmick brews that I can't imagine having more than one of, lacking in hops, malt, and other beer-y flavors that I demand from my ales.

To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I can finish this one. I'll try, though, I will most certainly try.

Update: I couldn't do it. Tossed some juice in there, just to give it something.

Brewed to celebrate our 23rd Anniversary! Based on the traditional Moscow Mule cocktail, this refreshing ale is lightly soured yet finishes clean with delicate notes of ginger. Lime peel & citrusy hops balance the light tartness while delivering great hop flavor without bitterness.

Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew Sour Ale

Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew Sour Ale. 5.1% ABV. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Pink Vapor Stew? That's the name of a beer? What? Okay, here we go.

Bright crimson, opaque, slim whitish head,

In the nose: Odd. Vegetal? I'm not getting much sour yet, or fruit, or whatever I'm supposed to....just a big "huh." Yeah, Huh.

And now, we drink. Here's the sour, very profound tart on the tongue. Hits quick and dissipates. Light bodied, not much for malt. Lot of sour, and I can't tell what else.

I'm going to read the can now. On top: "Roots-moral panic-recycle-mirrors-beets-recycle-piquant-b-movie-recycle-ready-steady-go." Oh, really, now? More: "MOD Project No. 1: Malt beverage brewed with apples, ginger, carrots & beets. Sour ale. 5.1% ABV." Who the Hell is saying "needs more carrots" in the brewhouse?

Are the beets for color? Are the carrot and apples for...? What? I'm not getting their flavors, neither for ginger. This is confusion. It's tart, sour, and not the least bit fruity. Guess we got to go with vegetal.

Is this designed for sour-heads, who want to steer clear of fruity, don't want a touch of the sweet? And what the hell is Pink Vapor Stew? It's from a Fishbone song? That I've been aware for many years? What?!?

I had no idea they were singing "pink vapor stew."
 I had no idea what they were singing.

Anyway, it's a weird beer, but it's good. If this sounds good to you, go ahead and drink it. Don't let me stop you.

Ska Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager

Ska Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager. 5.1% ABV, 20 IBU. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Clear, bright golden, large, ivory head.

In the nose: big grapefruit, large citrus. Intense ruby. I like it. Nice hoppiness.

In the mouth: Bright citrus, bold grapefruit, ending dry. Clean, crisp, full flavor, refreshing. Fruity, delicious. Very likable. So, I guess I liked it.

Like Ruby Red slippers, this grapefruit lager will take you where you want go...if where you want to go is beer heaven!

At first, your nose is treated to the aroma of bright and crisp citrus. Then your tongue is tickled by the carbonation that delivers flavors of tart and light grapefruit juice. Lightly acidulated, Rue B. Soho is a refreshing lager brewed w/ cascade hops and grapefruit.

Ska Modus Mandarina India Pale Ale

Another Ska can from the Sample Man, and this one I haven't had before. Let's check it out!

Ska Brewing Modus Mandarina. 6.8% alc. by vol. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

"India Pale Ale dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria hops and brewed with orange peels."

There are a bunch of words ringing around the top of the can: "Crush - Recycle - Reticulate - Smarten - HalfTime - Recycle - Bevy - Forest - Zest - Kyle - Recycle." Not all of these make a lot of sense, guys. I'm looking at you...Kyle.

Clear, bright orange coloring, nice, cream-toned head.

In the nose: vibrant mandarin orange aroma smack the nose up first, following by more bitterness, more citrus, a good dose of pine.

In the mouth: Once more, fiercely bitter up front, with citrus notes coating the palate, hanging in for the long haul. Medium bodied, light malt, nothing but hoppiness. Turn straight around if that's not your thing. It is, as has been routinely established, my thing, indeed.

Hopheads, go get this one. Totes legit, as the kids are sayin.'

Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi IPA

Ska Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale. Ska Brewing, Durango, Colorado. 6.8% ABV.

Once again, another great out-of-state brewery has entered our market. That wonderful Sample Man brought me some cans, including one that I first reviewed many years ago. So, here are notes on Ska's Modus Hoperandi IPA from August, 2009.


Hazy, deep orange, nearly crimson, smallish white head.

Grapefruit, pine, and citrus pith in the nose, not too loud, but perky and delightful.

Taste: citrus zest blasts the palate, mixed well with caramel malt, sweetness up against bitter. Delicious. Mildish mouthfeel, cool and even, but with never-ending bitterness hanging in there, riding right along. Bright fruit, orange, lemon, grapefruit, bumps up against tasty malt.
Great balance. Nice.

Ska Decadent Imperial IPA

Decadent Imperial IPA, from Ska Brewing, Durango, CO. 10 % ABV. Number eight in the birthday beer series. For this one, I look back on notes from July, 2006:


Hazed orangish hue, slim , soon-gone head.

Aroma of pithy citrus, big time resiny pine, sappy, orange and lemon...sweet and bitter, two step, side step, cha cha cha...

Tastin' it: big, flabby citrus, huge hops, loud flavor, and creeping alcohol. But, lacks a cohesive character, somehow. Just doesn't stand out enough. An outsized IPA, alright, just not imperial enough to merit the name.

Full bodied, fruity, bittersweet finish, but a bit flat in the flavor department, fails to deliver anything big and beefy. Good try, though.
Wish I could get excited about it, but, eh...there we go...

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And here's where I'm wishing I'd taken notes on it. Not as bad as these notes suggest, but not quite good enough for what I was expecting, perhaps. Maybe I went into with a different criteria, seven years ago? Maybe the beer got better? This bottle I had on my birthday was just fine, though not at all mind-blowing. C'est la vie.

Ska Brewing Nefarious Ten Pin Porter

Notes from May, 2004 for this birthday beer, an Imperial Porter from Ska Brewing of Durango, CO, brought back from the Chicago Trip:


Appearance: an impressive bottle, waxed-dipped as only one other beer that I know of is, and that one I consumed shortly after this,( although this has a blue wax). The fearsome figure on the label is no less scary a mascot than that for the Dark Lord, a skeleton, wrapped in regal red robes, gritting his ghastly teeth, clutching a bowling-pin sceptre..wait, that's more comical than frightening...Still, gotta love it, and also, gotta love this slogan: "We use the finest malt, hops, yeast, water and love." They use the finest love, really? I hope it's better than all that other crappy love I've seen and done already!

AH! But the beer...dark brown, with reddish highlights, with a fizzy, tan head.

Aroma, deep espresso tones, rich, resplendent, full as any great porter should be.

Taste: neat little bitter hops bite on board the palate, jump back, then fade, till the malt falls forward, lush, rich, chocolatey...and, wait! do I detect a note of banana? Oddly, I do...a bit of citrus, orange, even, definite fruit, some dark ones, cherries, figs, grapes, ....all put together, it's a magnificent thing, smooth& flavorful, creamy & satisfying, with a lush, full finish, this is a serious porter that seriously rewards the drinker.

Very nice, and I only wish I could try it again, and again...