SAN ANTONIO — At the root of any Islla St. beer recipe is family.
"A lot of them are dedicated to our grandma and grandpa, but a lot of them are just silly memories that we have or a favorite song. It's just a good way of bringing personality to the beer," co-owner Josh Pena said.
Three and a half years ago brothers J.D. and Josh Pena started brewing beer in their garage.
For these two, something was missing when walking down the beer aisle.
"We never saw our culture represented in the beer cooler," Josh Pena said. "We looked and we would only see Lone Star and Modelo, and we thought we're bigger than this."
That's when the brothers decided to inject the flavors of their culture into every beer.
One way they accomplished that was by putting pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, straight into some of their beer.
"Because you know when we were growing up Grandma would have all the coffee and all the pan dulce laid out," Josh Pena said.
Each beer is also attached to a favorite childhood memory.
For that reason, their taproom also feels like home.
It's a replica of their grandparents' backyard on Islla St. in Corpus Christi; a place they hold dear to their hearts.
"You can come and it feels like a backyard Pachanga," Josh Pena said. "The reason we did it like this house, is because it was the place where all our best memories were made."
The siblings made sure to keep the same vibe they knew and loved growing up.
"It's just really neat because every weekend we gain more and more family," Josh Pena said.
Grandpa, the patriarch of the Pena family, is also remembered with a beer named in his honor.
"That house that man cannot be forgotten and so we have a beer that is his namesake beer, the Suavecito. And it's hard to feel like work when he is looking right over your shoulder," Josh Pena said.