New ownership revives Ska Brewing, boosts Durango roots and local optimism

Ska Brewing’s new ownership has done what many local brewers have struggled to do: cut debt, keep the operation in place, and preserve the Durango identity that built the brand. Founder Dave Thibodeau said Bob Ariano and Dave West, both from longtime Durango families, bought the 30-year-old brewery in May 2025, and that there are no personnel changes and no culture changes. Thibodeau remains involved daily in a leadership and strategic role.

The brewery still operates from 225 Girard St. in Bodo Industrial Park, but the sale changed how Ska moves beer. Durango-based distribution shifted to A&L Coors Distribution, and the company moved its Colorado-wide business from Breakthru Beverage to Elite Beverage. Thibodeau also said the deal was not a sale to Coors Brewing Co., and that A&L Coors Distribution is independently owned. He said the new owners bring more resources, a better fleet and more people, giving Ska room to think about a wider regional or even national footprint while keeping its current focus on Southwest Colorado.

That continuity matters in a craft beer market that has become harder to navigate. The Brewers Association said craft beer volume was down 5% in its 2025 midyear figures, and closures continued to outpace openings. Against that backdrop, a locally rooted buyer may matter as much as a strong brand name, especially for a brewery that has already outlasted shifting economic cycles and the pandemic.

Ska’s own history explains why the ownership change landed as a point of optimism rather than upheaval. Founded in 1995 by Thibodeau, Bill Graham and Matt Vincent, the company grew out of a pre-internet, DIY craft-beer culture tied to mutual love of ska music. Thibodeau has said the founders pieced together equipment and retrofitted tanks in the early years, a far cry from the more polished industry now facing rising closures.

The company’s resilience was also tested beyond Durango. Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder opened in March 2020, just as the state moved to shut down bars and restaurants to slow COVID-19, forcing an immediate halt. Today, Ska is also expanding its lineup with products such as Lo Dose THC Social Tonic, a sign that the brewery is still experimenting even as it leans harder on local ownership and familiar distribution.

For Durango, the sale did more than transfer a label. It pulled Ska out of debt, kept its workforce steady and tied the brewery’s next chapter to two families with deep local roots, a combination that gives one of Southwest Colorado’s best-known brands a better chance to endure.