Colorado craft beer fans took another hit to the heart Friday when Dave Thibodeau, who co-founded Ska Brewing in Durango 30 years ago, said the company has been sold.
The new owners are two longtime Durango families – the Arianos and the Wests – who have been involved in multiple businesses over the decades, including beer distribution.
“I understand some people will be sad, but the [beer] landscape has shifted so much that I think people understand,” Thibodeau said, explaining the Ska had taken on $5 million in debt for expansion plans that never materialized. “At the end of the day, this is the best thing that could have happened. Now we have a solid foundation, and we can start marching forward.”
Thibodeau will remain with the brewery along with longtime executive Steve Breezley, who becomes CEO. “I’m not going anywhere, and the brewery’s not going anywhere,” he added.
Ska’s sale — first reported by The Durango Herald — underlines not just the age of the industry and its pioneers, some of whom want to retire, but the stark economics of the business, which grew quickly in a can-do-no-wrong fashion in the 2010s before hitting a wall of changing tastes and competition around the same time that the COVID-19 pandemic crushed food and beverage businesses nationwide.
For instance, Great Divide founder Brian Dunn sold his 31-year-old Denver brewery to growing local beverage manufacturer Wilding Brands in April, and will shutter both of his Denver taprooms this month. Kevin DeLange and Michelle Reding sold 20-year-old Dry Dock to Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing the same month; the future of Dry Dock’s Aurora taproom is unknown.
Left Hand is now the only major legacy craft brewery – 20 years or older – in the state that is still run and partially owned by one of its founders. A handful of smaller legacy breweries, including Carver Brewing and Golden City, are still owned by their founders or their families.
But some of Colorado’s older modern breweries, born after 2010, are also selling, leading to a whirlwind of changes in the market. The most recent sale was announced Thursday when Denver’s Station 26 Brewing (founded: 2013) was acquired by Wilding Brands, a holding company created by Stem Ciders founder Eric Foster. Wilding, based in Lafayette, also owns Denver Beer Co. and its five taprooms (founded: 2011) and Funkwerks (2010).
“Everyone is trying to figure out the next move to stay sustainable – asking themselves, ‘What is a good move for us,’” Thibodeau said. “For us, this is a chance to stop saying ‘no’ wherever an opportunity comes up. … It’s given us a renewed morale … It provides some levity.
“In Colorado, craft beer is such a part of who we are. There are still opportunities for growth and fun. We want to keep the legacy positive,” he added.
Ska grew to prominence in the 1990s and 2000s with beers like Modus Hoperandi IPA, Pinstripe Red and Steel Toe Stout, and stood out among Colorado breweries for its tongue-in-cheek messaging and its dedication to ska music (hosting an annual birthday bash featuring some of the best ska musicians in the business).
In later years, the brewery, which Thibodeau co-owned by Bill Graham and Matt Vincent, became known more for its lagers, including Ska Mexican Logger, Rue B. Soho Grapfruit Lager, and Oktoberfest.
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