Ska – Autumnal Mole Stout Cans Coming 9/22

(Durango, CO, 28 Aug 2012/mbb/) – Ska’s Seasonal Stout program—featuring a different canned stout released near the equinox or solstice of each of the four seasons—kicks off September 22nd with the series’ first release: Autumnal Mole Stout.

The Autumnal Mole Stout is an ale brewed with cocoa nibs, spices and three varieties of chile peppers: Mulato, Ancho and Hatch green chilies, (also known as Anaheim Peppers.)

An important source of inspiration for the Autumnal Mole Stout is Ska Brewing’s location in the high desert of Southern Colorado, not far from the New Mexico border. “Mexican, New Mexican, Southwestern—that’s just the way we eat here,” said Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau. “Around this time of year, chile roasters show up at the farmers market and grocery store parking lots and you can smell fresh-roasted chilies all over town. Given our Steel Toe (Milk) Stout’s 2011 GABF Gold and 2012 World Beer Cup Gold medals, we thought this new program should showcase our stouts. The balance between the milk stout sweetness and the chile spice and flavor seemed like a perfect combination for autumn.”

The packaging for the Autumnal Mole Stout features a black, 12-oz. can, with Ska’s comic book-inspired take on the Mayan snake-god Kukulkan. The beer’s release will be celebrated on the Equinox at Ska Brewing World HQ in Durango, but according to Thibodeau “all the points on the celestial sphere should align, creating a national celebration on that most scientifically important day. At least in our nine markets.”

Ska will release three more new, canned seasonal stouts this year, with releases coming in December of this year, then in March and June of 2013, when—assuming the 12/21/12 calamity howlers are wrong— the cycle will begin again.