Borderlands Brewing Co. launches 2nd edition of Las Hermanas beer

Posted Sep 21, 2022, 2:56 pm

Bianca Morales
TucsonSentinel.com

Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comLas Hermanas beer is available on draft at Borderlands Brewing Co.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comThe new Las Hermanas beer is a West Coast IPA.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comLas Hermanas beer is available on draft at Borderlands Brewing Co.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comLas Hermanas beer is available on draft at Borderlands Brewing Co.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comMarisol Vindiola enjoyed a dance break at the event.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comBorderlands Brewing Co. head brewer Ayla Kapahi gives a speech at the event.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comDeputy Consul Lee Wong Medina raises a toast to Las Hermanas.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comAs it was a dog-friendly event, furry friends like Coriander made an appearance.
Bianca Morales/TucsonSentinel.comLas Hermanas beer is available on draft at Borderlands Brewing Co.

Last Friday night, Borderlands Brewing Company's taproom opened it's doors for the release party of the 2nd edition of Las Hermanas beer.

Las Hermanas — "the sisters" in Spanish - is a binational project in which female brewers from both Mexico and Tucson came together to brew a West Coast IPA. The two brewers leading the project were Ayla Kapahi, the head brewer for Borderlands Brewing Co., and Marianna Dominguez from Cerveceria Macaria in Mexico City.

"Every time I tell people I'm a head brewer, there's always an eyebrow that goes up," Kapahi said. "The work isn't over until the surprised looks end."

Over 90 people were in attendance at the release party, hanging out indoors in the taproom or enjoying the easy weather on the patio. There was live entertainment in the form of mariachi playing beloved songs like "Cielito Lindo" and "Se Que Tendrás Que Llorar" by Los Rebujitos. Families were there with their children, and groups of friend sat at picnic tables and chatted away as the evening progressed.

"When you come to Borderlands, you're supporting female brewers," Kapahi said during her speech. "You're supporting beer brewed by women."

Kapahi was accompanied on stage by Mexican Deputy Consul Lee Wong Medina and Visit Tucson's senior director of multicultural marketing Marisol Vindiola.

"Projects like this make people look past issues like immigration and make them look at the people," Medina said. "Viva Las Hermanas! Viva Mexico!"

The new beer is available in draft and cans at Borderlands Brewing Co. taproom and Kapahi said cans will be available for purchase at local restaurants for a taste of the borderlands. ¡Para arriba, para abajo, para el centro y para adentro!

Bianca Morales is TucsonSentinel.com’s Cultural Expression and Community Values reporter, and a Report for America corps member supported by readers like you.