Ska to host beer dinner

I'm going out of town for a little while, so of course Ska Brewing Co. has decided to hold a beer dinner. This was after I harangued President Thibodeau to hold a beer dinner in Durango after seeing they had held similar events in Denver and Texas.

Oh, well, I suppose the show will go on without me.

For those of you who might actually be able to go, the dinner is Thurs., May 19 at the Palace Restaurant in downtown Durango. It includes a four-course menu at the Palace and dessert at the Back Space Theatre for a private screening of the documentary film I Am, which in which a film director finds an inspiring story — himself.

The menu (which you Facebookers can read here) features a Ska beer paired with each dish. The Ten Pin Porter paired with wild mushrooms and polenta in a truffle cream sauce sounds especially appealing.

The other beers used in the pairing are Mexican Logger, DIFF, Dubbel Blonde and Steel Toe Milk Stout.

Tickets are limited, so Ska suggests you stop by or call the tasting room to reserve your seats. Tickets cost $95 per couple or $50 per person.

Update: Ska's full list of American Craft Beer Week events is here. Also, the latest Ska Local Series beer, Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner, is on the shelves in Durango in bomber bottles. It's also being tapped Monday at Old Chicago in Denver's LoDo neighborhood.

Ska-B-Q resumes

The season's first Ska-B-Q kicks off tonight (Thursday, May 14) at Ska Brewing HQ on Girard Street in Bodo Industrial Park.

Ska currently has the Bootleggers Society's Spring Tonic Elixir on tap in addition to Ska's seasonal Mexican Logger and all the usual favorites.

Steamworks events

Steamworks Brewing will host a clam bake at Taos Ski Valley on Sunday, Feb. 15. The event from 3-5 p.m. is a fundraiser for the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. Melanie Moore will spin tunes, then Liquid Cheese will play at 6 p.m. at the Martini Tree (at the ski area). Five bucks gets you a beer and a bowl of clams at the ski area. It might be a good day for Purgatory season-pass holders to use one of their three free days at Taos Ski Valley.

Also, Steamworks Brewing has been invited to participate in a dinner at the James Beard Foundation in New York City. Steamworks co-founder Kris Oyler will help host the Flavors of Colorado dinner March 6. “This is a tremendous honor for Steamworks, Durango and Colorado in general,” Oyler said in a press release. “There will be a few wines included in the multi-course meal, but Steamworks is the only brewery represented."

Foodies are increasingly recognizing that the best American craft beers are just as good as wine at pairing with fine food. (Ska Brewing is putting that to the test, see above).

Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, the Durango company that provides beans to several local coffee shops, will also participate in the dinner.