Although primarily known for its beer brewed with Big Red soda syrup, Islla Street Brewing has earned a new distinction. Hop Culture magazine named the San Antonio suds factory to its list of 20 Latinx-Owned Breweries to Support Right Now.
Islla St. joined DeadBeach Brewery in El Paso as the only Texas outfits to make the list. Hop Culture praised the breweries on its roundup for “embracing ingredients from their culture and experiences from their traditions to influence their beer.”
Siblings J.D. and Joshua Peña opened Islla St. in January 2019, focused on what they called “culturally rich small-batch” brews. The business’ flagship beers included a papaya hefeweizen, pineapple empanada IPA and a blonde ale with cumin and cantaloupe — all flavors SA natives will recognize from snacking around town.
The brewery’s release last year of Big Rojo, a sour made with Big Red syrup, another local fave, quickly amassed a cult following. So much so that when the beer was released in area H-E-B stores, it sold out in mere hours.
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This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 8, 2022.