Sanitas Brewing opening third taproom in Lafayette

LAFAYETTE — Sanitas Brewing Co., a craft operation founded about a decade ago in Boulder, will open its third taproom in Lafayette this month. 

The new taproom, Sanitas’ third, will be located at 400 W. South Boulder Road. Sanitas will celebrate a grand opening on Aug. 10. 

“We are excited to bring Sanitas Brewing Company to Lafayette and be a part of this vibrant community,” Sanitas co-founder and CEO Michael Memsic said in a prepared statement. “As a resident living just 10 minutes north of the taproom, I am thrilled to not only be a part of this community but also to contribute as a business owner. Our new taproom is designed to be a place where friends and neighbors can come together, enjoy great beer and food, and create lasting memories.”

The Lafayette taproom, which will feature about 18 taps at the bar and 10-barrel brewing system, includes 3,700 square feet of interior space and a roughly 17,000-square-foot outdoor patio.

Sanitas will serve a lunch and dinner menu developed by Kenny Lou’s Deli. Located just next door to the taproom, Kenny Lou’s is an extension of Lafayette’s Button Rock Bakery that serves everything from burritos to sandwiches to sushi. 

“Sanitas Brewing Company is renowned for creating inviting spaces that serve as a ‘third space’ for the community—a place beyond home and work where people can connect, relax, and enjoy quality time,” Sanitas said in a news release. “The Lafayette taproom will uphold this tradition, offering a welcoming environment, emphasizing genuine human interaction and tasty craft beers.”

Last summer, Sanitas began its expansion beyond Boulder, opening its second taproom in Englewood. Memsic, in a 2023 interview with BizWest, hinted that the Englewood expansion was just the beginning.

“We have a long-term vision for multiple locations throughout the West,” from Arizona to Montana. “But before we start jumping on airplanes, I want to make sure that we can succeed at this within driving distance. So we were looking throughout the Front Range and really targeting places that were not as dense” with competing operators. “Boulder has a lot of breweries in a very small space. …We have succeeded there, but it’s been challenging.”

Sanitas’ plan to expand beyond Boulder began taking shape about four or five years ago, but “it’s not something you can just do overnight,” Memsic said. “These things are expensive and they take a lot of time.”

Correction: A previous version of this story reported the wrong patio size. BizWest regrets the error.