SKOOKUM 'S GOLD

Skookum's Gold is a crisp and refreshing beverage with roots harking back to the days of the infamous Chilkoot Trail and the Klondike Gold Rush. Skookum's Gold is a traditional Golden Ale, an easy drinker that adds a sense of class and flavor to your typical beer games. For those of you that sit at home and wonder how Squatch lives the life of luxury that he does (living in the woods, traveling around, making & drinking beer, playing beer games, etc.), it was this beer and his cousin Skookum that brought him his fortune back in the days of the Alaskan Gold Rush.

History:

Keish, better known by his European name SKOOKUM Jim Mason, was a member of the Tagish First Nation. In the mid 1880s, he worked as a packer over the Chilkoot Pass carrying supplies for miners, where he earned his Skookum nickname because of his extraordinary strength. Skookum means "strong" in the Chinook Jargon used on the Pacific Coast.

Skookum Jim is today credited with making the gold discovery that led to the Klondike Gold Rush, although, in keeping with the prejudices of the time, it was originally attributed to George Carmack, his brother-in-law.

Skookum is also a term used to describe a mountain monster or giant in British Columbia, Canada. The monster is similar to the Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Which is why we take you to the real story of Squatch's cousin Skookum...........

Old timers in a little town called Skagway, Alaska, fondly remember a very hairy businessman who started a small brewery to help quell the thirst of dreamy-eyed miners, who were embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Local legend Soapy Smith recalled that the "brewery owner" was a force to be reckoned with and was the only businessman in town that couldn't be bought. In fact, Mr. Smith lost his "Golden Paddle" (the infamous ping pong paddle) to cousin Skookum in a grueling championship ping pong tournament.

As word of the great beer spread, so did Skookum's fortune, which got big enough that he did not need to deal with sketchy characters such as Mr. Smith. In fact, it was the gold beer (now known as Skookum's Gold) & the cousins that single handedly shut down Jeff Smith's Parlor & the Soap Gang, ie the "Real City Hall".

Skookum was able to hire a group of young men to take beer up the Chilkoot Pass to a series of "beer stations". This group of men became known as the "Life Preservers". Only in the deepest part of winter were the Life Preservers unable to get beer to the masses. It was then that Skookum & Squatch (who would spent months with cousin Skookum every year) would take over the load and carry hundreds of pounds of "Skookum's Gold" to desperate climbers and miners. More than a few accounts have put this remarkable beer as the only reason prospectors were able to survive the harsh conditions. Today the Life Preservers name is carried on in the small styrofoam floats found next to swimming pools and on boats worldwide, still saving the lives of those we love.

A coincidence put Skookum's brewery right next door to the very first Nordstrom Brothers Shoe Store. The brothers would often share a pint and stories at the pub with Squatch & Skookum over a game of pong. The Nordstrom brothers convinced the hairy cousins to invest in their promising company before they parted ways. As a parting gift and a sign of their enduring friendship, the Nordstrom's had a special "Golden Fermenter" made for Skookum, so he could forever continue to brew the most beloved beer on the Klondike. Cousin Skookum became ill at the end of the gold rush and died shortly thereafter. Squatch was the sole benefactor of Skookum's will and received the three most prized possessions to come out of the Klondike Gold Rush- the Golden Paddle, the Golden Fermenter, and most importantly the recipe for "Skookum's Gold".

After the gold rush died down, Squatch made his way back to Forbidden Peak, where he relished the quiet nature of his life. Squatch hand crafted a ping pong table to remember the good times and his favorite cousin Skookum. He spent most of the next fifty years playing beer pong with his various woodland creature friends and perfecting the rules to make them into what they are today. So enjoy Skookum's Gold and know that in Forbidden Peak fashion, behind every great beer is a greater story. Cheers!