Ska Brewing’s WestSKAlle Wins GABF Bronze

A familiar brewery can still give you a reason to look at it differently. That’s what caught my attention when Emily Hutto sent over the latest news from Ska Brewing.

WestSKAlle earned bronze in the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale category at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival. It marks Ska’s 18th GABF medal and its first in a Belgian beer category, according to the brewery’s announcement.

For me, the interesting part goes beyond adding another award to the collection. It’s the chance to revisit a brewery we’ve had on Rod J BeerVentures and talk about a beer that might take some drinkers outside their usual order.

A trip that became a beer

The story behind WestSKAlle starts with people. In 2023, Ska took longtime employees to Belgium to celebrate their 10-year anniversaries. Those brewery and beer-hall visits helped inspire the beer that eventually brought home this medal.

I like that connection. A brewery trip can be a celebration, but it can also leave you with questions you want to explore when you get home. What made that beer memorable? What would you want to understand about how it was made? How could that experience shape something of your own?

That’s a much more interesting starting point for a beer conversation than simply asking what is new this week. There’s a reason behind the recipe, and a team that shared the experience.

What’s in the glass?

Ska describes WestSKAlle as an amber-brown, Trappist-style ale with caramel and dark-fruit aromas, a rich malt character, and a dry stone-fruit finish. Those are the brewery’s tasting notes, rather than a personal review.

That description gives me plenty to be curious about. When I read “rich” alongside “dry finish,” I want to know how those qualities work together in the glass. Does the beer leave you thinking about the malt, the fruit character, or the way everything comes together?

That’s where an award announcement can become a useful starting point for drinkers. You don’t have to approach the beer as a judge. You can simply ask whether the description sounds like something you would enjoy, then see where your own experience takes you.

Revisiting Ska on Rod J BeerVentures

If Ska sounds familiar to longtime viewers, there’s a reason. Co-founder Dave Thibodeau joined me for a Rod J BeerVentures YouTube livestream on October 30, 2025. Our conversation explored Ska’s story, its connection to music, and the people and personality behind the brewery.

That appearance is a good companion to this news. An award tells you something about a particular beer. A conversation with someone behind the brewery gives you another way to connect with the name on the label.

Watch my conversation with Dave on YouTube: “Taking Brewing And Beer With Ska Brewing Co-Founder Dave Thibodeau” — https://youtu.be/ppGSunr2KY8. It’s a chance to catch up if you missed the live show, or return to the conversation with this latest achievement in mind.

Why this one is worth a look

I don’t think a medal needs to settle the question of what anyone should drink. Your preferences still matter. But it can give you a reason to pause over a beer you might otherwise pass by.

Maybe you tend to order the same style from a familiar brewery. Maybe Belgian-style ales aren’t usually where you start. A story like this makes a good case for asking what else is available and being open to a different experience.

For me, that curiosity is a big part of the fun of following beer. There’s always another conversation to have, another brewing approach to learn about, or another glass that challenges what you thought you preferred.

Congratulations to the Ska team on the recognition. And here’s my question for you: would a medal-winning Belgian-style ale get you to try something outside your regular rotation, or do you already seek these beers out?

Drop your thoughts in the comments. Subscribe to Rod J BeerVentures on YouTube for more brewery conversations, beer reviews, and industry stories, and follow the Rod J BeerVentures Podcast to take the conversations with you.

Get your beer on! 🍻

Photo

Photo © Brewers Association, supplied through the RadCraft press release.