DURANGO, COLO., (May 22, 2013) — Ska Brewing Barroom Hero Arlo Grammatica is in Sweden this week, along with Head Brewer Thomas Larsen, to brew an imperial pilsner with Swedish craft brewer Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri.
Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri is a small and rising Swedish craft brewery whose relationship with the Ska crew was born at the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival last year, from a mutual love of outdoor adventure, and of course, great beer.
“I thought Arlo said they were going to California, so I gave him the okay,” said Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau. “It sounded like he said ‘Stockton.’ I wouldn’t knowingly let Arlo and Thomas go to Stockholm unsupervised. Plus, Thomas is Norwegian, so I’m a little concerned he could reject the Swedish government’s authority and try to form his own country.”
Grammatica and Larsen will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Oliver Twist, a Stockholm bar known for its selection of American craft beers and owned by the same partners as Great Brands, Ska’s distributor in Sweden. According to the Brewers Association, Sweden is the 2nd largest export market for U.S. craft brewers after Canada.
“We don’t believe in collaboration just for it’s own sake,” said Grammatica. “But when they told us that they surf the open ocean in the North Atlantic, it was clear to me that this was going to be a key relationship in the Swedish market. Building relationships is the key, no matter how many adventures I have to go on to do that.”
“We’re looking forward to mixing our approach and knowledge with Ska’s,” said Nynäshamns’ Marcus Wärme. “They started with the same love of beer, and have done the same hard work of building a business and a brewery. We live on the sea and they live in the mountains, but the guys at Ska aren’t that different from us. We’re putting in great elements from each brewery, and we think the outcome will be just as great.”
“They’re going to show us around on their boat and take us kitesurfing,” said Grammatica.
Ska has been selling its beer in Sweden for 2 years, after its flagship IPA Modus Hoperandi won the first-ever listing for a canned craft beer with the Systembolaget, Sweden’s alcoholic beverage monopoly.
About Ska Brewing
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and now produces over a dozen medal-winning beers including the Pinstripe Red Ale, True Blonde Ale and Steel Toe Stout. Four Ska beers are now widely available in cans: ESB Special Ale, True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi IPA and the summer seasonal Mexican Logger. For information, music and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com. Chat us up and get the latest news at facebook.com/skabrew and twitter.com/skabrewing.
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