'Bittersweet' Kendrick's Ale Remembers Teen Whose Life Ended Too Soon

DENVER (CBS4)- He was years away from being legally allowed to purchase alcohol, but Kendrick Castillo now has a beer named in his honor. And the brewing process brought longtime friends back together.

"We took bitter orange peel and we took Colorado honey and combined them in a Hefeweizen with banana and cloves to make Kendrick's Ale," said Strange Craft Beer Company owner Tim Myers.

Tim Myers decided to open the brewery after years of fine-tuning recipes with a group of friends.

"On a random Saturday we would get together and taste what we made last time and then we would all brew new recipes," Myers said.

"We created a brew club where we would go and cook bratwurst in the backyard and brew beer. We ended up going to our backyards because brewing made such a mess inside the kitchen, our wives sort of kicked us out," said John Castillo, Kendrick's dad. "We started before the movement of beer became popular. and Tim took it to the next level."

Kendrick Castillo, 18, was fatally shot when he and two classmates tackled one of the two gunmen at STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7. Eight other students were injured in the attack. Castillo's classmates say he was a hero, likely preventing other students from being shot.

On Friday, the brewery in the shadow of Mile High Stadium was packed. Family, friends, other STEM School Highlands Ranch parents, and even strangers came to taste the special beer. Proceeds are going to the robotics team Kendrick was part of.

The recipe came together in October when the home brew friends, now scattered all over the country, reunited to brew Kendrick's Ale.

"In reality that's what Kendrick was about with the relationships he made with friends. So I guess I'm lucky as well to have that. When bad things happen in our lives, there's people there to help us through it," Castillo said.

"How do you express emotions in a beer? We wanted something bittersweet," Myers said.