Wednesday 13th of August 2014 09:28:49 PM

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Fate.
Wiki-Webster says it's "Something that unavoidably befalls a person; lot."
Scores of Songs and poems have been written about fate; some popular ("Cast Your Fate to the Wind") - some not so ("Fate is the Hunter")
Fate as a theme, some might contend, is universal -- cropping up in everything from "Bridget Jones' Diary" to "The King & I" to "Dead Poet's Society."
Fate too, occurs in beer.
(Well of course it does otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it, would I?)
Some brewers seem destined for the role; Sam at Dogfish Head, Jim Koch of Sam Adams, Greg Koch at Stone (Coincidence? Mebbe), Will Kemper of Chuckanut in Bellingham, a pioneer who helped start the craft brewery "business" with Pyramid back in 1984.
Others...well, others could use more time in grade, as we used to say in the Marine Corps.
Fate Brewing falls into this category.
On a hot (107) August day, wife Persimmon & I strolled into their fancy little nest, two sorrowful birds in need of "water."
Here's how the afternoon transpired:
- Asking for a full flight of their beer, I told to pour 2 ounces. He didn't understand. I asked if they
poured 4 ounce flights. They did. I asked that he only pour 2 instead. "2 beers?" he asked.
Shaking my head, I tried again. "We share," I said with a bit of a smile trying to lighten the
growing heaviness "and we don't want to waste your beer. So instead of 4 ounces, just pour 2
ounces, ok?" A blank stare. "You mean you only want 2 ounces?" he said. "Yes," I replied. "But,"
he continued, "we don't have 2 ounce glasses." Closing my eyes and taking that moment to calm
my nerves, I plunged ahead. "You could take a 4 ounce glass and fill half-way, couldn't you?" He
pictured that, gave me an "ok" sign and was off!
- After sampling 6 of the 8 beers, he spoke again. "How's the beer?" "Well," I said, "some I like,
others not so much." From that moment on until the time we left, all conversation ceased. I hope
he reads this and understands, it's nothing personal.
- We got a sample of a Coffee IPA that was just made. When a fellow bird asked for a taste, Mr.
Happy said, "no -- we only have so much." Well, perhaps I'm getting old but isn't that the whole
point? To only have so much so that you can sell it? This fellow's mouth fell open and as we
conversed further, he told us that he worked as a bartender and when he finished his shift, he
would come to Fate, have his lunch and beer(s) and go to work at another club tending bar. Safe to
this guy this guy is an expert at customer service...and a Fate regular and he's being told "no"?
- 8 samples; from pale ale to chocolate porter -- nothing unique. We also bought a bread plate;
various types with 3 different sauces for knoshing and to cleanse the palate between tastes. The
bill? An astonishing $33! Without tip. There wasn't one.
- We left around 3 that afternoon, returned to our hotel room and cracked a prized bottle of
Dogfish Head Bitches brew bought earlier that day at Taste of the Tops. A good ending I'd say.
So, Fate perhaps led us to Fate Brewing but fate won't bring us back.
Now that's what I call inevitable.