Fiction Beer partners with former bartender on new taproom in Parker

The connection between breweries and their regular customers can be as thick as the foam on a nice dark stout, so it’s not unusual for taproom managers to hire them on as bartenders – as Fiction Beer Co. did with Chris Belila, who took a part-time job there in 2017.

That bond deepened further in early June when Belila opened a brewery in Parker in partnership with Fiction owners Ryan and Krista Kilpatrick. The new spot, at 19523 Hess Road, looks and feels like Fiction’s main location – down to its bar made of books. Labeled as Fiction Beer Co. Parker, it also shares the same beer and branding, but it’s owned and run by Belila.

“We had been looking for a [second location],” Ryan Kilpatrick said. “We had our eye on Littleton, but the site we wanted was won over by another brand. The Parker location that Chris found fit the ideal for what we were interested in pursuing, and because of our relationship with Chris, we had the comfort level to explore the opportunity.”

Belila had worked in the health care industry, but after “a few rounds of layoffs” he was looking for a new profession and applied for a part-time, Saturday swing shift at Fiction even as he continued to work at his day job. Although he had no experience behind the taps, Belila “proved himself quickly,” Kilpatrick said. “Chris brought an energy and charisma to the bar that those who frequent Fiction will undoubtedly recognize.”

Eventually, Belila decided to devote himself more to the craft-beer industry, and when Welcome Home Brewing, which operated for 4.5 years in Parker, closed its doors, Belila formed his own business called The Beer Bodega and purchased it.

“I never worked behind the bar a day in my life until Fiction … and now every day of my life will be behind the bar” of the new taproom in Parker, he said in a statement. “I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity to grow with the people and the beers that introduced me to craft beer.”

Fiction Beer Co. Parker operates its own six-barrel brewing system, which will be used to experiment and develop new recipes, as well as to brew one-off styles. Fiction head brewer Brandon Kerer will oversee the beer-making operation at both locations.

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