{"id":92900,"date":"2019-07-19T20:14:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/skagua-seltzer-set-to-release-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2019-07-19T20:14:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T20:14:00","slug":"skagua-seltzer-set-to-release-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/skagua-seltzer-set-to-release-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Skagua seltzer set to release in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Lemon
Lemon Skagua makes its way through the canning process July 3 at Ska Brewing Co.\u2019s headquarters in Durango. The sparkling water will be distributed in Southwest Colorado starting Friday.<\/span>Nick Gonzales\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durango\u2019s Ska Brewing Co. is branching out into a new realm, at least when it comes to distribution \u2013 sparkling water.<\/p>\n

When Ska<\/a> first moved into its current headquarters in 2008, the team was looking to have a non-alcoholic beverage around its offices, said President Dave Thibodeau. Matt Vincent, Ska\u2019s vice president, was on a sparkling water kick at the time and started making it himself.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018You know,\u2019 (Vincent) thought to himself, this is pretty silly, that I\u2019m spending money buying this flavored sparkling water that I can actually make myself,\u201d Thibodeau said. \u201cSo he made the first version of it. \u2026 As soon as he made it, we were like, \u2018Wow, this is great, sparkling water.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Plant
Plant Manager Jeff Mason pulls a cup of Skagua from the tap at Ska Brewing Co.\u2019s taproom on July 10. The sparkling water has been available for free on tap since 2008.<\/span>Nick Gonzales\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Ska team put a tap in the new brewery that customers and employees could access for free in the tasting room and \u201cSkagua\u201d was born.<\/p>\n

Ska\u2019s employees talked about canning and selling the sparkling water for years, Thibodeau said. Recently, though, other breweries have begun releasing hard sparkling waters, such as White Claw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think once that started to happen, we were like, \u2018geez, what are we waiting for?\u201d Thibodeau said.<\/p>\n

Skagua will release in cans in three flavors \u2013 watermelon, grapefruit and lemon \u2013 on Friday.<\/p>\n

All three flavors are gluten- and GMO-free. Watermelon Skagua is sugar-free and has zero calories, while grapefruit and lemon are lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar, Plant Manager Jeff Mason said.<\/p>\n

Skagua has a very short list of ingredients, he said, and is made using the existing production infrastructure at Ska. As a result, it does not take long to make.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can make it one day, and then it\u2019s carbonating overnight, and then the next day, we put it in the can,\u201d Mason said.<\/p>\n

\"Grapefruit
Grapefruit Skagua is canned at Ska Brewing Co.\u2019s Durango facility. The sparkling water is made with organic ingredients and is GMO-free.<\/span>Courtesy of Ska Brewing Co.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The cans themselves are designed to set the sparkling water apart from the brewery\u2019s beers, said Cara Nosek, who designs Ska\u2019s graphics and packaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted a kind of fresh, refreshing look,\u201d she said. \u201c(The can design) emulates the bubbles and the sparkles coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ska is distributing the sparkling water just to Southwest Colorado at first but is working on getting it to every market where its beers are sold. In Durango, Skagua will be available at Nature\u2019s Oasis, Durango Natural Foods, Bread, PJ\u2019s Gourmet Market, Durango Doughworks, most liquor stores and the Ska World Headquarters, Nosek said.<\/p>\n

Unlike most seltzers being made by breweries, Skagua is non-alcoholic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems kind of cool to do a non-alcoholic one, when, you know, the rest of our craft-brewing brethren are doing hard seltzer,\u201d Thibodeau said. \u201cI think \u2026 it\u2019ll help raise the awareness that we have that option at the brewery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a favorite here at the brewery for over 10 years, and I think it\u2019ll be fun for locals to finally see it on the shelves,\u201d Nosek said. \u201cThey can bring it with them on all their adventures.\u201d<\/p>\n

ngonzales@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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