New Image Brewing is located just outside of Denver in Old Town Arvada. Upon entering this quaint little town, you pass an old train station and you automatically feel like you’re transported back to the old Wild West. But then you turn the corner and see New Image Brewing looking modern and inviting and you understand the “New Image” they’re bringing to the town.

When you walk into the Brewery it looks like your typical charming Colorado Brewery. Deep earth tone colors to compliment the woodwork, along with many communal tables and a generous wrap around bar. You will however, be surprised by a few things that are quite different from 90% of the breweries I have been to.

There are two things that set New Image Brewing apart; besides serving their amazingly delicious beers, they also have a full bar, along with the list of specialty craft cocktails. Now you will rarely see me ordering a cocktail, and I can guarantee you will NEVER see me order a cocktail at a brewery; However, I think having a full bar is a fantastic idea because it offers something for everyone. I know, you’re thinking “If you don’t like beer why go to a brewery?” But hear me out! Think about groups of friends or coworkers meeting for happy hour; maybe the majority of them like and enjoy craft beer; hence the brewery meeting, but there are one or two stragglers that haven’t gotten with the times yet and still need their Moscow Mules of whatever. By offering all of these selections it makes New Image the ideal meeting place to include everyone as well as to have something to offer for all those present. I think one of the main things preventing other breweries from doing this is that it is a pain in the butt to get the separate liquor licenses but I commend New Image for giving it a try.

The second thing that sets New Image apart from the rest is that they have their own kitchen. Say what??? For smaller breweries I feel like this is practically unheard of. You have to wait around until whatever time the food truck shows up and hope they aren’t late; especially if you’ve already had a few and you’re starting to get Hangry. Or for instance, if your friend drags you to a brewery and you find out the only food truck they have on a Sunday is “Vegan” and you have to begrudgingly choke down some Vegan Mac and Cheese, (Sorry Nikki) you’re stuck with whatever cuisine that food truck serves. But by having their own kitchen you have food available every moment that they are open. So this means you can go there first thing in the morning nursing a hangover, desperate for some hair of the dog and order a taco bowl at the same time (and possibly a Bloody Mary). I think this is such a great premise because why not make that food revenue for yourself? People are going to want to eat when they’re drinking, so why not serve a relatively easy menu (tacos, bowls, nachos, etc) and keep that profit instead of giving it to an outside source. They really are the Renaissance men/women of the brewery scene.

Another thing that gives them 5 stars in my book in relation to the menu; going back to the Vegan thing; their menu has both meat and vegetarian/vegan options. This is killer because for the majority of the meat eating population they can just block those Vegan options out of their minds and eat whatever meat things they want, but its nice to actually have a choice for the rest of us without having to make a million substituituons to fit our dietary choices. They are just so damn inclusive over here at New Image Brewing and I love it!!!

So now that I have sung my praises for two totally kick ass aspects, lets get to the important stuff: the beer. New Image has a variety of options from New England style IPA’s, to Imperial stouts, to a variety of Sours. They are not limited to one specific style, but kick ass in many styles across the board. If you like a Smoothie style with Blackberry, Pineapple, and Lactose, then Time Bomb is for you. Or maybe you want more of a Hoppy Brett Saison than Flora is your jam. Pastry stout guy? No problem you won’t be able to believe the thick, buttery texture of the “I can’t believe its butter”.  There was not a single beer that I had here that I was “meh” about, and we tasted almost the whole menu.

My personal favorite that really stood out was the Single By Choice New England Style IPA. What is special about this beer is that it is the same recipe but they choose to showcase a different single hop with each variant. They had four options when we were there and we decided to go with the Amarillo and Rakau. The 5% ABV Rakau was such a phenomenal beer. For a New England Style it was so light and easy drinking. The color was a more a pale orange rather than a rich, vibrant orange, and it drank more delicately than your traditional NE style. It had flavor notes of Stone fruits, specifically Nectarine, with a touch of sweet that was so absurdly refreshing. This was such an easy drinking IPA, I was already imagining myself sipping on this during summer brunches, or during weekend poolside excursions.

And then on the other end of the spectrum, the 10.5% ABV Coconut Cacao Melanoidin was an excellent showcase of an adjunct stout. All three flavors really stood out, with the coffee being the most prominent right off the bat. One thing I loved about this beer was that the coconut was really present and not just muted in the background, so being the coconut fiend that I am, I was extremely pleased by this. The bottom line is that you really cannot go wrong with whatever beer you choose from the menu, as they were all extremely tasty, and I feel like that can’t be said for a lot of breweries.

So now you know, if you’re planning a trip to Denver, or maybe even just a happy hour among friends; and you’re trying to find the perfect place to meet and try amazing beers, you cannot miss out on the experience New Image Brewing will provide. You won’t be disappointed.