Colorado’s Ska Brewing hires Kurt Randall as new head brewer (formerly of Flying Dog, Breckenridge, Great Divide)

Durango, Colo.’s Ska Brewing Co. continues to make some power moves with new hires. Last month, the company announced Avery Brewing vet Steve Breezley as its new chief operating officer. Then last week, Ska sent out word that industry veteran Kurt Randall will take on the title and role of head brewer; Randall’s new position will include oversight of brewing and cellaring operations, product innovation and the hiring and training of new personnel.

A Colorado brewer at heart, Randall began his career 13 years ago on the bottling line at Flying Dog Brewery in Denver. His natural understanding of the brewing process quickly led him to the role of head brewer in four short years. He brewed for Breckenridge and Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and eventually took over the reins in Great Divide’s quality control department before moving to Ska in 2015 to take on the position of brewhouse supervisor.

“With the exciting and innovative plans we have for our beers in the coming years, Kurt’s breadth of brewing knowledge will prove invaluable, the bonus being that we already know he fits in well with our cast of characters,” said Ska Co-founder, Dave Thibodeau, referring to the fact that Randall has worked with the brewing team at Ska for tw years.

Randall is equally thrilled about his new role, and harkens back to his days as head brewer for Stranahan’s. “I’ve been a fan of Ska since crushing cans of Modus at the Rackhouse at Stranahan’s,” said Randall. “I can’t wait to lead our team into Ska’s next chapter.”