Ska Brewing graduates

Ska Brewing Co. surpassed 15,000 barrels of brewing in 2010, moving Durango's largest brewery from the American Brewers Association's “microbrewery” designation to the more important-sounding “regional craft brewery” designation, Ska announced in a news release.

"It’s amazing how much your life can change in the course of a day," Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau says. "Just yesterday we were king of the ‘micros’ at 14,957 barrels, ruling the land with an iron-clad brew glove, and now here we are 20 hours later scraping the bottom of the regional barrel.”

The American Brewers Association designates breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year as microbreweries, while regional craft breweries are those that produce between 15,000 and 2,000,000 barrels annually. As of July 31, the Brewers Association reported 534 microbreweries in the United States, and 71 regional craft breweries.

The designation doesn't change anything, but it does illustrate the impressive growth Ska has enjoyed the past few years. Ever since moving into their new brewhouse in 2008 and doubling down on cans in 2009, Ska has pushed a huge amount of beer into the market.

Ska seems to be enjoying themselves. The brewery had more than a dozen signs made that say “REGIONAL CRAFT BREWER PARKING ONLY”.

“I put one up this morning,” says Thibodeau.