The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [72]
PHILOSOPHY
Durango’s soft water—low in magnesium, calcium, and other minerals—is ideal for brewing, requiring little or no adjustment during the brewing process (a luxury not all brewing towns enjoy). The company specializes in lagers, and despite the difficulty of brewing those well, there’s an ease about the place. “These are beers you can sit down and have more than one or two of,” he adds, mentioning the company’s Colorado Kölsch by way of illustration. That approach has worked, at least in terms of growth; today, Steamworks has a busy canning program, widening distribution.
KEY BEER
Steam Engine Lager (5.65% ABV) is technically a California Common, the beer style made famous by Anchor Steam. And like that classic brew from San Francisco, it’s technically a lager brewed at warmer temperatures, with a slightly more fruity profile than standard, cold-fermented lagers. Also worth trying, particularly on a hot summer day, is the 4.85% ABV Colorado Kölsch—a lightly bittered golden ale with a touch of biscuit-like sweetness in the body and a crisp, dry finish.
SKA
BREWING CO.
1022 Main St. • Durango, CO 81301
(970) 259-2545 • carverbrewing.com • Established: 1988
SCENE & STORY
With a brand-spanking-new, $4.8 million, ultra eco-friendly facility just south of Durango and an everybody-into-the-moshpit image—a breath of fresh air, what with all manner of fusty, dusty Da Vinci Code self-seriousness running rampant through craft brewing—Ska is a fun brewery to visit, because when it comes to brewing, they’re not goofing around. A visit to the sunny taproom (and the gleaming silver Airstream trailer taco truck outside, Zia Taqueria, which sources beef from local ranchers; 970-247-5792) may be the highlight of any beer lover’s visit to Durango.
PHILOSOPHY
The well-meaning hell-raisers behind this company, a group of Colorado locals who, one fateful day, decided to home brew because they weren’t of legal age, have recently graduated to regional microbrewery status, a fact that still seems to give them a case of the giggles. They’re known for pranks on other brewers (like producing a twenty-minute spoof of the Discovery Channel’s Brew Masters show, starring their friend, Dogfish Head brewery founder Sam Calagione), and make the festival rounds with a posse in tow.
KEY BEER
Ten Pin Porter shows off Ska’s more serious side: it’s a fulsome, roasty black brew of 5.5% ABV with flavors of cocoa, coffee, and molasses in admirable balance.
MAGIC BUS
Why drive? It’s far safer and more fun to leave it to the professionals. Tour de Brews is a new tour service offering guided, four-hour tours of Durango’s four area breweries in a classic blue 1979 VW passenger bus nicknamed “The Dude.” At $85 per person, the reservation-only service includes a commemorative pint glass, four 4-ounce tasters in each location, bartender gratuities, a snack at one brewery, a brewery passport to keep, and a knowledgeable, non-drinking tour guide/driver. Dude! Tour de Brews; 970.426.1441; tourdebrews.com
PAGOSA SPRINGS
BREWING CO.
118 N. Pagosa Blvd. • Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(970) 731-2739 • pagosabrewing.com • Established: 2006
SCENE & STORY
Heading east out of Durango toward New Mexico via Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on US 160 to US 84E affords one of the greatest drives in the United States—make it in daylight after leaving Ska and Zia Taqueria so you can see what’s around you. On arrival to Pagosa Springs Brewing Co., it’s easy to see why this small seasonal resort town is such a haven for vacation-home owners and skiers. Soaring peaks ring the town; Wolf Creek, just a short drive away, is a world-class powder skiing destination. And Tony Simmons’s brewpub and beer garden