It’s honestly baffling to come to the realization that it has been 17 and a half months since Alex Kidd’s shocking announcement that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. The beer community immediately rose to the occasion, raising over $400,000 for Alex and his family to help with his medical bills. Even after all this time, PorchDrinking still has yet to feature all of the breweries and their beers and/or releases dedicated to the man behind Don’t Drink Beer. That said, we started this journey back in June of last year with Horus Aged Ales’ Stay Strong Alex, and this is now the 23rd installment of Collaborating for a Cause. For this spotlight we zoom northwest of Denver, CO, and set our sights to New Image Brewing.

The New Image Cause

New Image Brewing has been a staple of the Colorado beer scene for 10 years now, originally opening their doors in Arvada in 2014. Owners Brandon Capps and Sean Fisher have known each other since middle school, and Capps found his passion for brewing while interning at Anheuser-Busch. After spending some time at a brewery in Pittsburgh, Brandon reconnected with Sean and the two ultimately ended up in Colorado to open their own brewery. The vision was to create a community-focused space that promoted strong social connections in a casual environment. The goal was to pair this with a simultaneously upscale experience that paired a focused beer program with a unique dining experience.

The brewery has seen lots of success over the years, and in 2022, New Image opened a second location in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Featuring a pizzeria, full bar, and rotating guest beers, Capps and Fisher have continued promoting their vision of unique, high-quality beers in a socially-charged atmosphere.

Upon hearing that Alex Kidd had been diagnosed with cancer, the team in Arvada was devastated for him and his family. Just one week after hearing the news, New Image donated 100% of proceeds from their next dual barrel-aged release to Alex. A constant source of cathartic humor, honest criticism, and creative inspiration for the brewing industry long before New Image’s inception, Don’t Drink Beer had also supported New Image’s beers many times over the years. There was no better circumstance than this to show that support right back.

The Release

On May 24, 2023, New Image announced the pre-sale for Madera 2023: PX Sherry (Blend 1) and These Are Not Hash Brownies on Instagram, with both to go live on Oznr at Noon MST that day. All of the profits generated from the release went to support the GoFundMe for the unforeseen medical costs incurred by the Kidd family during their difficult time. The release raised $2,200 in an amazing show of support, and led the first round of what would ultimately amount to over 3,000 donations before the GoFundMe closed.

These Are Not Hash Brownies

It doesn’t get much more Colorado than this…

The idea for this stout collab came during some terpene experimentation with New Image’s friends from Bottle Logic Brewing for their Cannaheim IPA. Influenced by flavor pairings and scenes from the movie EuroTrip, the idea for a hash brownies-influenced stout was born. The final recipe was a blend of barrel aged stouts aged 24 months in bourbons barrels, infused with Pineapple Express and Blackberry Kush terpenes. 13.76% ABV.

The Review

Motor oil viscosity on the pour, without hardly any lingering head buildup. A thin ring of tan foam settles around the liquid after a few moments in the glass.

Getting a touch of terpenes on the nose; not as much when poured into the glencairn at first, but definitely noticeable when smelling straight from the bottle. In the glass, getting a lot more fudgy chocolate notes initially, finishing with a touch of jet fuel. As the beer opens up, we find much sweeter notes of jam and candied pineapple.

The palate initially comes forward unpresuming; baking cocoa with bittering notes featuring a barrel-forward influence of oak and burnt caramel. Quickly on its tail comes those terpenes. The unique adjunct layers with notes of citrus, resiny hops, and grass; an appropriately herbaceous linger. Time and temperature only increase the influence imparted by the hash. Green burps.

The mouthfeel hits a nice middle ground; medium weight, with a bit more of a seltzery carbonation than expected for the style and gravity. The tail is smooth and warming, with a bittering, terpene-fueled finish.

We couldn’t help but assume that time has mellowed out the dank terpenes packed into this beer. While time has done well to bring balance to the experience, admittedly there was curiosity on just how hash-loaded this beer was when fresh.

Madera 2023: PX Sherry (Blend 1)

A program full of passion and thought-provoking complexity, this beer was – at the time of its release – New Image’s newest offering in their oxidized barleywine series. Appropriately dubbed “the most challenging beer of 2023” by none other than Don’t Drink Beer, he noted the unique blend as one requiring time and attention to pick apart and enjoy.

This blend of Madera aged in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks marked a major milestone in their growing program. A vision originating from a love for fortified and dessert wines, sherry always stood out as one of the most compelling inspirations for where the team wanted the series to go. The oxidized barleywine base for this release was already rich and layered before its slumber in oak, but the barrel allowed this beer to all come together and created something incredibly complex, balanced, and thoughtful.

While this is the first release of Madera 2023 aged in PX Sherry casks, the label notes Blend No. 2, as it was the second blend released in the Madera series (the first being Bourbon Maple in March of 2023). 16.89% ABV.

The Review

The pour boasts deep umber tones, zero carbonation as it settles still into the glass. Even cold, there’s noticeable leg retention when swirling the liquid around its snifter.

A complex bouquet on the nose. Layers of different notes dance around; we’re getting rum raisin, toasted coffee beans, anise, smoke, candied fruit, and baking cocoa. Driving the backbone with consistency are drying notes of walnut to accompany fig semifreddo.

The palate equalizes in its complexity, but simultaneously allows for dangerous approachability. Toffee, vanilla, smoked fig, bordeaux cherries, and walnut biscotti lead the way. On the back-end there’s gentle notes of chocolatey bitterness and candied citrus peel.

This beer is intentionally oxidized and bottled still, so it lends to the character imparted by the bold Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Noticeable heat but alarmingly smooth. With it, a drying bitterness that contrasts the slightly syrupy mouthfeel nicely, and paves a great path for the length of the finish.

Supporting the Kidd Family

As 2024 approaches its end, Alex Kidd has begun the next crucial stage toward his recovery. On November 7th he endured his second successful lung surgery, with the procedure basically mirroring the first from back in August. This surgery focused on the right side, removing three tumors with no complications. They’ve now scheduled him for yet another on the left side, to occur in December.

While Alex recovers and prepares to go through it all again next month, the goal is to minimize the amount of maintenance chemo to follow once all of the tumors have been removed. The highest priority between now and his next lung surgery is another CT scan, just to make sure that his body is still responding properly, fighting hard, and showing promise for a smooth track back to health.

Collaborating for a Cause, a series for Alex Kidd that looked to spotlight every major brewery effort conducted to raise money for him and his family, is finally nearing its end. While you can expect to see two more upcoming installments from Jukes Ale Works and Jailbreak Brewing, we’ve nearly run the gamut. But DDB’s fight is still very much active, and the road to beating this thing has a few more hurdles. We wish him all the best in his current recovery and future procedures, and hope to have nothing but positive updates as we round out the series dedicated to one of the most influential figures in craft beer. Stay Strong Alex!

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