• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Ska Brewing COO explains partnership with Proximity Malt

December 18, 2018Chris Crowell

ska brewing proximity malt partnership
Majestic.

Ska Brewing in Durango, Colo., just added a new bright green silo at its facility for Proximity Malt, the only regional malting company in Colorado. The silo is obviously functional — with the difficulty of shipping in and out of Durango, especially in the winter, this additional silo is going to be huge for maintaining inventories — but also stands as a symbol to the local partnership the two have formed. Ska said it’s now sourcing over half of its malts from Proximity and to celebrate even more regional malt going into their batches, the crew is brewing a collaboration beer together next week.

“We’re really proud of supporting local farmers who are growing the barley and supporting all of the jobs Proximity brought to the San Luis valley, but we’re equally proud of the malt they are providing,” said Steve Breezley, COO of Ska Brewing. “While we have numerous great suppliers in the industry, Proximity is doing some really fun, unique roasting, as well as supplying us with great base malts.”

Proximity has been working to shorten its supply chain around the country. The San Luis Valley in Colorado has been traditionally growing barley for more than 50 years, and its new malthouse in in Monte Vista, Colo., was chosen to take advantage of this consistent malting barley supply and expand the malt markets in the Southwest. It also has locations in Laurel, Del., and Milwaukee. The Mid-Atlantic region is the largest winter barley-growing region in North America, and the plant in Laurel is meant to capitalize on this winter malting barley production.

Partnership explained

But why go this step and form a partnership versus just contracting for ingredients as you would any supplier? Well, to Ska, Proximity isn’t just any supplier.

“Relationships play such a key role in running any business, but when it comes to raw materials for brewing it’s incredibly important,” Breezley told us. “The relationships we have with Proximity we formed before Proximity even existed. They brought on so many industry veterans such as Amy Germershausen, Susan Welch and Dave Kuske, whom many of us had already worked with. This helped build trust in a brand new company we might not have had. Having Proximity located so close to us has also given us the chance to get our brewing staff out to the barley fields and to the maltings itself, and this is something brewers rarely have the chance to do.”

What about the beer?

ska brewing proximity malts

The new Green Silo Saison will be a dark Rye Saison. Spiciness will be coming in from three separate directions — the two types of rye malt being used (chocolate rye and crystal rye), the French Saison yeast and finally the three varieties of Slovenian hops (Styrian Wolf, Styrian Fox and Styrian Dragon).

IPAMoonstone Beach, CAMalcolm DeSoto
Hopworks features Patagonia Provisions’ perennial Kernza grain and other beers to know this week
German brewers malt producer Palatia Malz celebrates 120 years (let’s get to know them)
Hops research at Ohio State
Ingredient and supply insight in 2014
The-IBA-Team
IBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dev Adams says

    December 19, 2018 at 12:20 pm

    Proximity makes the best crystal malts I’ve ever tasted. Their proprietary roasting methods are pretty cool and I’ve been impressed with the consistency of their products.

    Log in to Reply
  2. Mike Mallozzi says

    December 18, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    Jonathan Buford

    Log in to Reply
  3. Mike Mallozzi says

    December 18, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Sinagua Malt

    Log in to Reply
  4. Scott Davidson says

    December 18, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Root Shoot Malting is a Colorado malting company.

    Log in to Reply
    • Ryan Hannigan says

      December 18, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      “regional” malting. Root Shoot and Colorado Malting are local…I think is what the differentiation is in this article. Proximity has locations in a few states in our “region”…

      Log in to Reply
    • Scott Davidson says

      December 18, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      Ahhh, that makes sense. Thanks

      Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Beers to know this Fourth of July, including creamsicles, Cold IPAs and rescue dogs
  • Photos: After a three year hiatus, Savor returns to DC, rocks out cool new concert venue
  • Hey Vermont non-profits, Lawson’s Finest Liquids is accepting applicants for its 2023 Sunshine Fund
  • People moves: Ohio Craft Brewers Association tap new board members + news from Migration, Bell’s, New Belgium and MobCraft

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Fam vaca fam in background_2-001Beers to know this Fourth of July, including creamsicles, Cold IPAs and rescue dogs
    July 4, 2022
  • Photos: After a three year hiatus, Savor returns to DC, rocks out cool new concert venue
    July 1, 2022
  • People moves: Ohio Craft Brewers Association tap new board members + news from Migration, Bell’s, New Belgium and MobCraft
    June 30, 2022
  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery
    June 28, 2022
  • robot beer salesThe future of retail beer sales is here
    June 27, 2022
  • Sapporo to acquire Stone Brewing, that one brewery that kept saying it wasn’t interested in selling out
    June 24, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....