New fermenters for Ska

Today, a new batch of brewing equipment is scheduled to begin arriving at Ska Brewing Co., where it will give the Durango brewery room to grow — for a little while.

Ska purchased three additional fermenters and a brite tank. The fermenters are massive 240-barrel tanks that together will increase Ska's brewing capacity by nearly 70 percent, said Dave Thibodeau, Ska's president and co-founder.

"It didn’t take long to fill our existing capacity," Thibodeau said in an e-mail. "Even after acquiring Steamworks’ tanks last summer, we still managed to max out. We’re doing really well in our existing markets and demand continues to grow. In short, we needed them."

He added, "We intend to fill the existing pipeline and really get a measure on where our existing sales ceiling might be. Right now we have no intention of entering any new markets in 2011, but we do have a number of other fun things in the works, such as the release of Mexican Logger in cans in April. These tanks will take the pressure off and allow us some flexibility in production as we spend a few years growing into them."

This follows epic growth for Ska ever since they moved into a new brewery in September 2008. The new brewhouse, coupled with canning and introducing Modus Hoperandi IPA, have turned Ska from a sub-10,000 barrel a year brewery to one that eclipsed 15,000 barrels in 2010.

The new tanks will put Ska's capacity at well north of 20,000 barrels.

These new tanks will give Ska room to grow and hit their existing markets, like Denver, Illinois and Texas, a little harder. And it's just one more reminder that Ska is not such a small brewery anymore.