Southwest Beer Trip: Pagosa Springs and Ska's Anniversary

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to travel south toward the Land of Enchantment (read: New Mexico) to sample some beers on our way to and from Ska Brewing's 19th anniversary party and Telluride Blues and Brews. It was a week of lots of driving, but also lots of awesome beer in places you might not expect.We stopped in at Riff Raff Brewing to start the trip off right. If you're not familiar with them, they won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Beer cup for their Weapon of Self Destruction imperial stout. They're also on board for Beers Made By Walking's festival next Friday at wynkoop. I stopped in and tried their spruce tip ale that they'll be serving at the fest, and i was super impressed. Lots of that piney flavor balanced nicely in the beer.From there, I headed down the road to Pagosa Springs' newest brewery, Wolfe Brewing. As the newcomers to town, it seemed like they were still trying to find their niche, but the beer was tasty. Inside, it's got a lot of that hunting lodge meets local tavern feel, which is a nice change from the usual brewery setup. I had a quick taste of what they had to offer and got on the road to Durango.Ska's Anniversary parties are something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. These guys know how to throw a party. After living in Durango from 2006-2012, I have attended quite a few of them. This year's was definitely up to par. With their headliners, The Skatalites celebrating their own 50th anniversary this year, it was a great pairing![tw-parallax image="http://www.focusonthe.beer/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Southwest-Beer-Trip-0888.jpg" target="self" ][/tw-parallax]And more photos from the event: