(Durango, CO) — Ska Brewing announced today that they have brewed more than 15,000 barrels of beer in 2010, moving them from the “microbrewery” designation to the more important sounding “regional craft brewery” designation. This change means that Ska is no longer the largest microbrewery in the United States, and instead has just become the nation’s smallest regional craft brewery.

The American Brewers Association designates breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year as microbreweries, while regional craft breweries are those that produce between 15,000 and 2,000,000 barrels annually. As of July 31, 2010, the Brewers Association reported 534 microbreweries in the United Sates, and 71 regional craft breweries.

Dave Thibodeau, Ska President and Co-Founder, tells the story: “It’s amazing how much your life can change in the course of a day. Just yesterday we were king of the ‘micros’ at 14,957 barrels, ruling the land with an iron-clad brew glove, and now here we are 20 hours later scraping the bottom of the regional barrel.”

The change in status caps a year of milestones for the Colorado regional craft brewery in which they celebrated their 15th anniversary, announced double-digit sales growth and had over a dozen signs made that say “REGIONAL CRAFT BREWER PARKING ONLY”.

“I put one up this morning,” says Thibodeau.

About Ska Brewing
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and now produces over a dozen award-winning beers including the Pinstripe Red Ale, True Blonde Ale and Steel Toe Stout. Three Ska beers are now widely available in cans: ESB Special Ale, True Blonde, and Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale. For more information, music and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.