It may be the holidays, but with much of Colorado under Level Red COVID-19 restrictions, partying in person really isn’t the best idea right now. That notwithstanding, Ska Brewing Co. is hoping people will be in the mood to imbibe a new collection of hard seltzers with party-themed flavors.
The brewery’s new Ska Brewing Party Pack hit stores on Dec. 1 and includes three cocktail-inspired hard seltzer flavors: Paloma, Piña Colada, and Pomegranate Mojito.
In addition to its Skagua line of nonalcoholic seltzers, the brewery debuted its hard seltzers on tap and in canned form in December 2019 with three flavors: Black Raspberry, Hibiscus Lime, and Blood Orange.
The seltzers were initially quite popular, but sales saw a definite increase over summer 2020, said Kristen Muraro, Ska’s sales and marketing director. Anecdotally at least, people seek out seltzers a bit more when they’re headed to the lake or on a river trip or other outdoor activities. As a result, the seltzers have grown to be one of Ska’s top five brands.
It remains to be seen whether the new flavors will continue this trend by bringing tropical vibes to the cold season.
“I think it’s a trend that’s not going away anytime soon,” Muraro said.
Ska has used its Mod pilot system to create beers that emulate classic cocktails, such as the MoSka Mule and the barrel-aged Whiskey Sour, for years. It’s not surprising that the brewery extended the practice to its seltzers.
For our money, the new set of seltzer flavors is an improvement over the previous ones. Don’t get us wrong — the fruit flavors were good (particularly the Black Raspberry), but we didn’t necessarily love them as much as, say, the same brewery’s beers.
The cocktail flavors, on the other hand, come a lot closer to that. In our opinion, the Pomegranate Mojito seltzer is quite refreshing, assuming you’re the type of person who enjoys mojitos anyway. The mintiness of the emulated drink comes through as strongly as the fruity flavor. We’re definitely enjoying it presently, and we can’t wait to enjoy them in warmer weather once winter is long behind us.
We feel similarly about the Piña Colada seltzer. It’s more coconut-y than pineapple-y, but that works for it. It’d be an excellent beverage on a beach somewhere. The Paloma, just by default, lands at the bottom of the list for us, but it’s still a pleasant experience — we can see ourselves reaching for it instead of another grapefruit beverage, such as a Fresca, when the mood strikes us.
The new seltzer flavors are available to-go at Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters at 225 Girard St., and cans of the seltzers are available as a variety 12-pack across Ska’s distribution footprint.
Nick Gonzales
