STEAMWORKS

Story by Leslie Doran, photos by Roger Young

AT FIRST GLANCE, you may not think of train and beer in the same breath. But the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and local brewmasters at Durango’s Steamworks Brewery have fashioned a winning partnership with Steam Engine Lager.

Steam Engine Lager is classified as an original, American amber lager, also known as a California common, one of the first beer recipes developed during the Gold Rush of the 1800s. Since the lager is brewed using a steam process, Brian McEachron, Director of Marketing says, “It’s a natural fit to join two American originals. We use steam to make our beer and steam drives the train.”

McEachron is excited about this new partnership. Steamworks started brewing Steam Engine Lager back in 1996, and from the beginning, it was inspired by the train. The lager has made a name for itself by winning several awards including Best American Lager in the Country, Gold Medal Winner-Great American Beer Festival 1997 & 2000 and a Silver Medal winner at the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, 1998.

One new development leading to this venture is that the D&SNGRR wants canned beverages on the train for safety reasons. Independently, Steamworks wanted to develop the ability to can as well as bottle their beer. This started Steamworks’ design quest to highlight their top-selling and train-themed beer. There are other benefits to having cans since they are easy to stack and store and they don’t break, making them perfect for hunters, rafters and outdoor adventurers to put in their coolers. The most important plus of using cans is that light can’t get to the beer; therefore, the quality is ensured for consumers. The newly designed “super cool” label is getting rave reviews from fans. Steamworks even redesigned the logo to incorporate the D&SNGRR’s logo. Steamworks is currently revving up to start canning as soon as possible while waiting for new machinery to arrive from Italy. The new cans will be ready for the 2005 train season.

As fate would have it, about that time, Kristi Nelson Cohen, then D&SNGRR Vice President of Sales & Marketing, contacted Steamworks and the partnership began. Both businesses had previous common involvement with local events and charitable organizations. Steamworks has helped with events such as the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, the Durango Marathon, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, The Durango Film Festival to mention only a few. Steamworks also provided food for the firefighters at the Missionary Ridge Fire of 2000.

Working toward a common goal, two community-conscious businesses have helped forge this new enterprise. So belly up to the concession car bar and “Wet your whistle with Steam Engine Lager.” 

www.steamworksbrewing.com