One of the biggest disappointments of 2020 was all the restaurants, breweries, and events we missed out on. At the top of our list this year has been Ska Brewery Co.’s new Boulder location, Ska Street Brewstillery.
The new brewstillery, which opened in March 2020, is a hybrid company that offers Ska beers and Peach Street Distillers liquor and cocktails in Boulder. The brewstillery was open for all of one hour and 11 minutes before restaurants were shut down because of COVID-19, according to Forbes.
This was a shame because we’d been very much looking forward to supporting our friends at Ska with their new business venture. The new brewstillery includes a 10-barrel system for brewing, 30 Ska beer taps, a 450-liter still, and a restaurant.
“The pandemic, at least for the moment, has been trying to quash our dreams,” Dave Thibodeau, one of the owners of Ska, told Forbes. “We’re open now at limited capacity (for outdoors only), and things are going great. Long-term, we’re confident this was the right thing to do.”
Despite not being able to sit down indoors and throw back a few beers and cocktails, we decided it was about time to check out this new brewstillery we’ve heard so much about. Ska Brewery’s reputation very much precedes this and we were psyched to try some of their new menu items and beers.
While Ska Street Brewstillery does currently offer outdoor seating, we decided to get a to-go order of food and a growler of beer, particularly Peaches For Me, a new kettle sour of Ska’s brewed at their Boulder location. Along with that, we also ordered the Big Billy, a house-cured and smoked pastrami sandwich with house-made sauerkraut; the Ska Street Dagwood, a sandwich piled with smoked duck, brisket, pastrami, grilled kale, and cheddar cheese; and smoked jerk wings.
After picking up our order and asking a few questions about the new place, we returned home completely thrilled to try our food. Both sandwiches were a hit — robust and filling without feeling weighed down by grease. The house sauerkraut created a tangy balance with the pastrami on the Big Billy while the cheddar cheese did an excellent job of pulling everything together on the Ska Street Dagwood. This was especially delightful as, we’re sure most of you know, getting a to-go order of food just isn’t the same as eating at a restaurant, unless you’re driving through McDonald’s. We were psyched the meal turned out so well despite having to bring it home in boxes instead of enjoying ourselves at a table. Damn you, COVID-19!
Peaches For Me was also a fan favorite. We were happy to find that, though it was sour, it wasn’t too bitter and our lips didn’t pucker too much at the flavor. The peach flavor came in clean, sweet, and crisp and perfectly balanced the sour aftertaste.
We sure have missed eating out at restaurants, so finally getting to try out Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder felt like a win to us. Next time you’re in Boulder, when this horrendous pandemic has passed, you’ll want to swing by this familiar extension of Durango.
Amanda Push
