Stoutmeister and E-Rock continue their quick trek through the breweries of the Four Corners Area with a stop at the most famous of the bunch, Ska Brewing.

After the general disappointment of Steamworks on Tuesday night, our bar dropped pretty low for Durango-area breweries. Not surprisingly, Ska said “to hell with that” and reminded us what a good brewery can really do when we dropped by on Wednesday.

We actually had breakfast, but not beer, at Carver Brewing, but made sure to ring up Durango Brewing Co. and Ska to ask the most important question of the day — will you have Portugal (Papa E-Rock’s home country) vs. Spain on TV? Ska answered in the affirmative and off we went.

The brewery itself is big, bigger than anything in New Mexico. It is four stories tall, located in a warehouse district south of town (similar to the area La Cumbre and Il Vicino occupy in ABQ) near the intersection of Highway 550 and Sawyer Road. The tasting room is spacious, open during the daylight hours but closing fairly early in the evening. (7 p.m.!) It sits on the ground floor and there is also an outdoor beer garden, but being in need of a TV to watch the Euro semifinal, we opted for the great indoors.

As for the beers, the vast majority available at “the mothership” are available in bottles for sale around the region. The award-winning Steel Toe Stout was not available on tap, but there were a trio of special seasonal beers — the Orange Cream Stout, Ole Mole Stout and Mexican Logger. I let E-Rock try each of them due to allergy-related reasons.

Here is a quick wrap-up of all the beers we sampled while watching that darned frustrating soccer game (boooooo, Spain):

True Blonde Ale: This has been a signature beer for Ska for years, and rightfully so. With a touch of hops and a lot of flavor, True Blonde is most similar to the ales made by La Cumbre. This is a perfect beer for summertime refreshment on hot day. — E-Rock

Pinstripe Red Ale: The menu describes it as being like an amber ale, and I would agree. From the light, non-red color to the light taste, it was the only mild disappointment on the menu. There were hops here, but they were not enough. — Stoutmeister

True Blonde Dubbel: Though similar in name to the True Blonde Ale, this sweet Belgian dubbel is a very different beer. Again, Ska shows its knack for making flavorful beer. The best Burque comparision would be Marble’s Double White. — E-Rock

Buster Nut Brown Ale: My personal favorite, a solid English-style brown, smooth with a hint of caramel flavor. The Victory and Munich malts shine through for a flavorful but drinkable beer. — Stoutmeister

Mexican Logger: The Mexican Logger is the beer that Corona wishes it could be. Light, crisp, and citrussy in a way a beer should be, my seven-ounce sample even came with a little slice of lime. This is a great beer to turn a Tacaté lover into a real beer drinker. — E-Rock

Ten Pin Porter: Ska throws six malts into this style, which comes with a strong but smooth flavor. There is no burnt flavor here, just a good collection of coffee and chocolate hints. — Stoutmeister

Olé Molé Stout: This was one of the most original and satisfying beers that I have ever had. The initial taste was so unique that I didn’t know what to make of it. It is sweet and spicy like molé, but it is still a smooth like a stout. I fell in love with it on my second tasting. This is a must-try for any adventurous beer drinker. — E-Rock

Nefarious Ten Pin Porter: At first taste this imperial version of Ten Pin had a mystery flavor that turned out to be Bing cherry. It offered up a strong yet sweet finish to a burlier version of the regular Ten Pin. At only 8% ABV, it won’t overwhelm the palate. — Stoutmeister

Orange Cream Stout: The name says it all. It’s like a cream stout with a bold orange flavor. Like almost everything at Ska, this beer was all about great flavor. — E-Rock

Ska Special ESB: An offbeat ESB, with stronger hop flavors than what you would encounter in the ESBs at Nexus or Second Street back in NM. It almost tastes like the love child of one of those ESBs mixed with a hoppy pale ale. — Stoutmeister

While the soccer outcome was not good, the beer at Ska was great and left us looking forward to our next stop in southwest Colorado — Durango Brewing Co.!

Until we return with that review…

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister