Exceptional NA Beer Brand Makes Massive Colorado Debut
303 Magazine
On September 24, UK-based NA beer brand Mash Gang launched on and off-premise in over 150 Colorado locations. It debuted with a single flagship product Chug, a bold, devilishly drinkable IPA with vivid tropical notes befitting its name.
Originally developed by tattoo studio manager turned home-brewer Jordan Childs, the project has quickly grown from a hobby into a global brand with representation in the UK, Europe and now the United States. “I’m utterly and completely self-taught,” said Childs, noting that prior to the 2020 closure of Occult Studios — a grocery store-sized, ten-chair ink emporium he was then managing — beer making had hardly been a glint in his eye. “It really started during Covid. In learning the trade I would just bug brewers. They were so bored they responded,” he continued wryly. “It was DIY from the start.”
Driven by ennui, a noticeable rise in untethered friends during Covid and a still pervasive perfectionism, Childs got to tinkering. “Our stuff was a replacement for what people were doing. How can you have a beer in the middle of the day? That’s an NA beer,” he said. Initial batches were sold over social media, often being sent to friends and colleagues in poster tubes. The project grew and Mash Gang was born with the addition of founders James Loveday, Alex Loveday, Michael Baggs, Ben Gibson, Roger Tattersall and Kris Dawson. In the four short years since the brand’s inception, Childs has already been nominated for UK Brewer of the Year not once but twice.
Chug is good stuff, even for drinkers generally avoid all things NA. “We compared it with beer,” said Childs, noting that his competitive streak extends past the NA world out towards the entire brewing community. The development process has never been about making a great alternative product, it’s been about making something uniquely magnificent.
“We have two principles,” added Damian McKinney, the founder and CEO of DioniLife — the parent company that acquired Mash Gang just over a year ago. “The first is that our consumers have lived with a stigma. Either they’re recurring alcoholics, boring SOBs or pregnant,” he said. “The second is that we really do care,” he continued, noting that changing that stigma is as important as environmental considerations and maintaining a general sense of social justice within the beverage community. McKinney has previously worked with global brands Diageo, Stoli and Moet Chandon. “I’ve been paid to have a drink or two,” he laughed. Both McKinney and Childs are united in their desire to create a successful NA brand organically in a scene dominated by subpar products that have been carelessly and sometimes crassly introduced by more than a few of the bigger brands. “We like the idea of people having fun but also care,” added McKinney.
While Mash Gang has been toying around with incubators in both the Chicago and Milwaukee markets, the true stateside debut is here in the Mile High. “The real market is Denver. It’s the craft beer crucible,” said Childs. As part of the kick-off, the brand will be presenting at this year’s Great American Beer Festival from Thursday, October 10 to Saturday, October 12.
READ: Cheers Inside the Wild Ride of the Great American Beer Festival
Unlike many of the products in the NA category which emulate their alcohol-rich counterparts, often to mild effect, Mash Gang is producing beverages meant to be enjoyed simply for their own sake. “In NA and alcohol there’s a lot of compromise. People settle for good enough,” said McKinney. “You’re probably the best beer maker I’ve ever met, and in a very short time,” he continued, turning towards Childs. The duo’s mutual admiration is palpable. “It’s really fun to make beer and it’s utterly fun to catch people off-guard,” said Childs. Not ones to settle, both McKinney and Childs have big plans for the future. McKinney intends to grow DioniLife into a global company that represents all facets of NA. He says an NA tequila will likely drop locally in the spring. “To achieve excellence is relentless. None of us will ever achieve it because the bar keeps moving,” he said. “The day that I feel I got it perfect is the day I move on to something else,” added Childs.
Chug neither feels like an uneasy understudy nor a cop-out. It more provides a stirring and inclusive reminder that when downing delicious beverages amongst friends, the brash and the boisterous is sure to follow, even booze be damned.
All photos courtesy of Mash Gang.
Mash Gang can be found at retailers across Colorado.