Fill up on Big Shikes

Westword Beer Man Jonathan Shikes wasn’t born with a pint glass in his hand, and that’s the main reason he cried so much. Even now, he still acts like a baby when he’s not enjoying a delicious beer. But he’ll drink his fill tonight when Ska Brewing and Old Chicago unveil Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner, a beer that Shikes helped create and brew in February at Ska World Headquarters in Durango.

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Made with 2,300 pounds of malted barley, three kinds of hops and 120 gallons of orange-blossom honey, Big Shikes weighs in at 8.7 percent alcohol by volume, about twice as much as the average pils. “[Shikes] wasn’t nearly as much of a pain in the butt as the beer was,” says Ska co-owner Dave Thibodeau, adding that it took twice as long to ferment as expected. “But it turned out fantastic. It’s hop-forward…and the orange blossom comes through nicely.”

Brewed by Ska exclusively for Old Chicago, the beer will be available for only three weeks at all 26 Colorado locations as part of the chain’s Craft Brew Mini Tour. Old Chicago will use the tour to kick off American Craft Beer Week, May 16-22, an annual week-long party sponsored by the Boulder-based Brewers Association that includes thousands of events at bars, breweries and restaurants across the country.

Shikes, Ska head brewer Thomas Larsen and BA craft beer program director Julia Herz will be at Old Chicago downtown, 1415 Mar-ket Street, to celebrate and to sign the association’s Declaration of Beer Independence, which Herz wrote. Join them in a toast at 5:30 p.m. and stick around for food, beer trivia, music and giveaways. For more information, log on to www.craftbeer.com or westword.com.
Mon., May 16, 5:30 p.m., 2011