Walking into the FATE Brewing Company is like walking into the dining room that I wish I had. A contemporary casual place filled with warm colors, adorably organic centerpieces, good smells, friendly guests, and 30 draft lines streaming delicious local and nationally-brewed craft beer.
Located in the former Playa Azul restaurant space, tucked in the front of the business park at 38th and Araphaoe, FATE Brewing is making waves in its first month of existence on the Boulder craft beer scene.
It seems like FATE owner and founder, Mike Lawinski, thought of just about everything when he designed his first beer/food-centric venture. Fresh off of a 10 year stint with Boulder’s well-known Big Red F Company, Lawinski has branched out to create a stand-out craft beer establishment in the midst of Boulder’s biggest brewery boom. From the inviting and open floor plan, to the cost friendly better-than-bar-food menu, and those nifty little hooks on which to place your purse or jacket on installed on the underside of bar—FATE Brewing may be the new kid in town, but it’s giving the other beer bars and tap rooms in Boulder a good run for their well-earned money.
Although the in-house brewing part of FATE Brewing won’t actually produce products until late March, Lawinkski has creatively found a way to put FATE’s name in the local craft brewing scene without actually serving beer made in his own establishment. Teaming up with local breweries to create a variety of very palatable craft beers, like the not-too-sour Cherry Fate Stout brewed with the Mountain Sun Brewery, or the smooth Twist of Fate Rye Brown Ale created as part of a collaboration with Twisted Pine, FATE has found a way to stick the FATE name on locally brewed craft beers before the thick sheets of murky plastic have even been pulled off of the large glass windows to reveal FATE’s see-through in-house brewing operation.
On Sunday, the restaurant was full of brunch-goers and families, sampling items off of the new food menu and drinking specialty cocktails or one of the collaboration beers that FATE head brewer, Jeff Griffith created with the help of breweries like Twisted Pine, Boulder Beer, Mountain Sun and just about every other Colorado brewery that you can think of. On Wednesday evening, the hip, North Face-wearing, unnaturally fit, 30-something crowd of Boulder braved the snow and came pouring through the door for $4 beers and tasty discounted menu items at happy hour.
While the stacked draft line at the bar isn’t shabby, the food coming out of the FATE kitchen is holding its own as well. “This is the best Rueben that I’ve ever had,” said my brother-in-law, after digging into the house-smoked pastrami Rueben. “I wonder if I can make this at home?” said my sister, after tasting FATE’s flavor-filled pasta salad. “Mmmmm,” said my friend after devouring a spoonful of a FATE dessert special composed of a vanilla-infused buttery biscuit with a tart strawberry and orange compote. I echoed her sounds when it was my turn to sample a spoonful of the concoction.
And perhaps one of my favorite things about FATE Brewing—is the way they have a little something for everyone. Whether you’re a craft beer nerd and looking to geek out on specialty craft beers, just looking for a nice upscale twist on the typical bar food served with your local beer—or, if you’re like me, and schedule most of your meals around your favorite pro sports teams, FATE is just the place for you. Several very conveniently placed TV’s stream a steady program of relevant sports—the kind of sports that you would skip dining out for if it meant missing the big game.
With any new venture comes growing pains, and FATE is no exception. The service isn’t as consistent as a weathered establishment, but the staff is friendly, and eager to share whatever level of beer and menu knowledge that they possess.
Check out FATE Brewing for yourself at:
1600 38th Street (one block west of Foothills on Arapaho Road).
And for a full list of FATE food and beverages, click here.
Stopped in for a Pumpkin Chocolate stout. Not what I’d ordinarily sample as I am an IPA dude, but it was tasty. Hope they do well!