Fight Fire 416 With Beer: Ska Brewing Donates Beer To Stimulate Durango Economy

From Ska Brewing:

DURANGO, CO Today Ska Brewing donates the equivalent of a keg of beer to almost every beer-serving establishment in Durango and Silverton, Colorado in response to the 416 fire. These donations are intended to support beer tourism this summer that will help to keep locals employed. Ska is also encouraging breweries across the state to host fundraisers on Save the San Juans Saturday, slated for June 23.

“The San Juan National Forest is currently closed, our local open space is closed, and the train isn’t running,” says Ska Brewing Founder and long-time Durango resident Dave Thibodeau. “We’re a tourism economy and we lean heavily on the busy summer months, so we all suffer from the fires and subsequent closings. We don’t have cash to give in support, but we do have beer— and lots of it.”

Ska Brewing has accordingly donated the equivalent of a keg of beer to almost every on-premise account in Durango and Silverton, and two cases of beer to each off-premise account to support beer tourism and awareness of 416 fire relief efforts.“We want drinking Ska beer to be one more way you can support this cause, so we made it available absolutely everywhere in town,” Thibodeau says. “Beer itself won’t put this fire out, but damnit I’d hook up the world’s longest hose to one of our tanks if it did.”

Durango and Silverton residents and visitors can help fight fire with beer by purchasing Ska beers from these establishments, and continuing to spend tourism dollars through summer months.

Breweries across the state have volunteered to support 416 fire relief. In collaboration with Oskar Blues Brewery, efforts are underway at Ska Brewing to organize Save the San Juans Saturday. Next Saturday June 23, breweries across the state are encouraged to donate funds from pint sales to the Community Emergency Relief Fund. This organization has raised more than $80,000 for fire relief, and hopes to raise $500,000. Breweries interested in participating can email [email protected] for more information.

Cheers to Ska’s friends at Durango Brewing, who are donating $1 from every pint sale between June 15 and 22 to the Wildland Firefighters Foundation.

“There are a lot of great efforts underway to support this effort. We felt we could have the most impact by supporting the businesses that have supported us,” says Thibodeau. “We want to keep people employed this summer.”

For more information about Ska Brewing or its fire relief efforts, contact Emily Hutto at [email protected].

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

Ska Brewing Initiates Save The San Juans Saturday on June 23 to Support 416 Fire Relief

DURANGO, CO — Ska Brewing has organized Save the San Juans Saturday to support relief efforts for the 416 fire in Durango. This Saturday June 23, breweries across the state are encouraged to donate funds from pint sales to Durango’s Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). The fundraising goal for the fund is $500,000.

This Saturday, June 23 one dollar from every pint sold at Ska Brewing will be donated to CERF. The brewery has initiated Save The San Juans Saturday to catalyze statewide brewery support. More than 25 brewing companies, bars, and restaurants have joined the effort.

Odell Brewing will donate $1 from every pint of Colorado Lager sold in its Fort Collins and RiNo Denver homes to fire relief on Saturday, too.

From now through Saturday, one dollar from every Oskar Blues pint sold at the Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont and Oskar Blues Boulder taprooms will support the fund. All sales of CANundrum mixed 12-packs sold to-go from Oskar Blues’ Boulder and Longmont taprooms will be donated as well. “Oskar Blues and SKA are cut from the same unconventional ColoRADo cloth and have built our breweries in places we love to play in the outdoors.  Hell, you can’t spell oSKAr without SKA. We’re proud to help lead the charge in helping their community respond to the 416 fire with a week of fundraising at our taprooms,” says Chad Melis, Marketing Director for Oskar Blues Brewery.

From now through the end of June, New Belgium Brewing is matching tips and donations in its Fort Collins tasting room.

The current list of companies participating in Save The San Juans Saturday is on the following page. All fundraiser details are listed at radcraftbeer.com/savethesanjuanssaturday. Breweries interested in hosting events or fundraisers can email [email protected] for more information.

For more information about Ska Brewing or its fire relief efforts, contact Emily Hutto at [email protected].

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.