Mateo E.
Yelp
4.5 stars
New Image (NI) has proven itself as one of the state's elite brewers. With the opening of a second location, they added a new dimension to their taproom experience.
This one hits all the right notes, with friendly service, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, scrumptious Neapolitan-style pizza, and of course, plenty of NI's outstanding brews. This was my second visit in a year.
BEERS
Count on a solid selection of IPAs across the spectrum of the style, potent barrel-aged stouts, fruited sours, lagers, and more. They balance innovation, taste, and quality like few others. IMO, their hazy IPAs with double, triple, even quadruple dry hopping are hard to top. I enjoyed a barleywine aged on fresh oak that was far too easy to drink for 15.4% abv, and the Quaduple Double 1 More Time hazy DIPA. Both were delicious.
PIZZA
Cooked in a truck outside, you can order "Social Dough" pizza from the bar. I highly recommend this. I had no expectations, but discovered one of the best Neapolitan-style pies I can remember around the Front Range. Sauce zings. Festooned with toppings, the crust comes nicely burned on the edges, but chewy and delicious everywhere else. I wished I'd taken one home.
SPACE
Indoors, find seating at the bar, at tables, or at the long bar-like table for four. There's plenty of space and it feels roomy, cheery. Outside, choose between a few tables on a front patio or picnic tables next to the building.
SERVICE
Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable about the beers. Check.
While NI's original taproom remains a solid option, their menu differs. If it's pizza or a salad, the Wheat Ridge location is your place--even if it's practically a half-day trip coming from East Denver.