How Raíces Is Making Latin American Beer and Culture More Accessible

For spouses José D. Beteta and Tamil Maldonado-Vega and head brewer Martín D. Vargas, co-founders of five-month-old Raíces Brewing Co., slinging suds is about more than just making great-tasting beer. “Everything we do is to celebrate Latino culture and highlight the vast number of subcultures that exist under ‘Latino’—because a Colombian Latino is very different from a Puerto Rican or U.S. Latino,” says Beteta, a native of Costa Rica. Thus, when the trio opened Raíces’ (which means “roots”) first taproom in burgeoning Sun Valley this past fall, events were at the heart of the brand’s mission to facilitate cultural understanding: Its calendar is packed with everything from celebrations for Latino national holidays to fútbol (and football) watch parties. Latin- and Caribbean-inspired food trucks provide fare that complements Vargas’ award-winning beer styles, which range from classic American sips like the Musa stout to Latino-inspired brews like the mango-infused Manguito. In fact, perhaps the only thing more refreshing than sipping on his coffee-infused Cafecito blonde ale is watching Denver’s beer scene get better, and more inclusive, by the day.