From the Portland Mercury‘s Craft Beer Issue!
I’ve crushed my fair share of fruit beers, ciders, and radlers during the hot Portland summer months, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a beer-adjacent drink as refreshing, tangy, or memorable as the tepache they serve at Barrio, the small beer-and-wine bar inside the Portland Mercado. A one-to-one mixture of fermented pineapple and Modelo with a spicy salt rim, the drink came highly recommended by bar manager Ben Citalán.
Originally from Guatemala, Citalán (along with owner Chris Shimamoto) has overseen Barrio’s drink selection for the last two years. Since opening on Southeast Foster in 2015, the Mercado has become a favored destination for those seeking a variety of authentic Latin American dishes served by food carts in a casual setting. The Barrio has gained its own reputation as a cozy neighborhood bar with local art on the walls, buzzy music in the speakers, and drink specials, like tepache, that you can’t find anywhere else in town.
For the Mercury’s craft beer issue, I recently sat down with Citalán to talk about tepache, the Latin American beer scene, and why Modelo will always have a spot on the Barrio’s taplist.
