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When Jon Barón's plan to attend college didn't work out, he realized something was missing from his life. So he worked his way into Denver’s vibrant brewing scene, where he grew to love the techniques behind brewing. Still, it took a special drink from his heritage, brewed with centuries of myth and meaning, to find what he'd been missing.

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Lead producer and mixing: Luis Antonio Perez

Editors: Andrew Villegas, Ana Campbell, Erin Jones

Additional producers: Rebekah Romberg, Jo Erickson

Theme music by Pedro Lumbrano; additional music courtesy Universal Production Music

Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale

Thanks also to Hart Van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Kim Nguyen, Brittany Werges, Arielle Wilson and CPR's Latino Audience Working Group.

Follow May on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mayvortega">@MayVOrtega</a>

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May Ortega: Jon Barón is well known for making some of the most unusual beverages in town.

[Talking to Jon Barón] But these are really good. How fun. So you had a hand in making all of these?

Jon Barón: Every single one. Yes ma'am.

Jon: Yeah man. It's like –&nbsp; it's like being an artist and watching somebody, like, appreciate your painting, you know? Or being up in a gallery or something.

May: In a city where small quirky craft breweries are part of the local culture, a way of life for a lot of people, Jon makes drinks that are truly unique, like an original piece of art. And this isn't your mom's average ale, but it could have been your bisabuelita’s.

From Colorado Public Radio, this is “¿Quién Are We?” Exploring what it means to be Latino or Hispanic or Chicana or however you identify and diving into the beautiful things that make us who we are. This is the first episode of a season full of stories about things like baseball and dancing and house plants. I am so excited to share these stories with you.&nbsp;

I'm May Ortega. This time, we'll hear about a man trying to keep up with his siblings and make his parents proud. But when he finds himself where he thought he wanted to be, he realizes something is still missing, and it takes returning to his heritage to find it.

Jon Barón’s family is from a familiar place for me.

Jon: So my dad is from Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

May: My dad is from Matamoros. That’s, that's crazy [laughter].

Jon: That's so tight. So… May: Really? Jon: …Yeah. May: Oh my gosh. That's wild. Jon: Yeah. Like to this day, I still have a lot of family sitting right there in Brownsville, Laredo, McAllen…

May: Yeah. I moved here from the Rio Grande Valley.

Jon is the youngest in his family by many years. His sister and brother are 13 and eight years older than him. Jon's parents migrated from the Rio Grande Valley through the Midwest and eventually put down roots in Denver. And that is where we both live now. Señor y Señora Barón always encouraged their kids to be ambitious and pursue their passions. As a kid, Jon watched his siblings take that encouragement to heart through their careers.

Jon: My sister is the Associate Dean of Inclusion for Metro State University. What blows my mind is that like my sister always gives me grief and tells me that I ride her coattail of her being a doctor. And she set that bar high, and I seen all that and was there for it. And outside of her, we have my brother. He's with a group called Stay Tuned. He goes by Main Rock. He's been performing in Denver that I know of since, oh gosh – 2001, 2002.

Jon: Yeah. Like I, I trip out and see all these walls covered with posters and concert tickets of things that he's done. And people that he's introduced me to. And like I've watched him headline and perform with some of, like, my favorite acts.

May: An associate dean at a university, a local hip hop star, and Jon – the baby of the family. As Jon approached adulthood, his parents put pressure on him to rise high, like his siblings, to find something that could bring him success and fulfill his passions. Easier said than done. First-gen kids like Jon and I have an extra strong drive to make our parents proud. We have to let them know their toil and sacrifice were worth it, right? Growing up, Jon watched his parents use their hands to make a living. Jon's mom was a seamstress and a migrant farm worker.

Jon: I think that all the stuff that my mom has, like, tried to teach me from the time that she was a migrant worker and seeing like all the vegetables and plants. And it's always cool to go with her and, like, see different parts of the garden. That's one big thing that she loves. I know her purple hydrangeas are the biggest thing to her heart. And like, I've sat there with her in the garden, transplanting irises. And going through – just taking the time when we travel to ask her, like, what do you like about these? It's a big thing. You know.

May: Jon's dad was a construction worker who loved to repair old cars.

Jon: My memories of him, like, he was always super tired when he did get home. He was up so early in the morning to go do concrete work. It wasn't easy for him. And I remember when he'd get home, I'd take off his boots and everything, but I didn't really have experiences with him. I wish that I had more opportunities to sit there and hold the light for him under a hood.

May: Yeah. Jon: It would've been the world to like, learn how to work on classic cars and yeah. So.

May: The Barón parents did not want their kids to be blue collar workers like they were. They wanted their kids to have the best chance to be successful and more, so they did everything they could to give them an advantage, even down to picking Jon's name.

Jon: No, it is on my birth certificate. It says, Jon Joe. It doesn't say Juan José. And those are my grandfathers’ names. But the real reason being is that, flat out, they wanted me to be Americanized. I wasn't supposed to be Juan José because my parents seen my complexion, and they knew that I would always have the passing as white. And because of that, they wanted my life to be a little bit easier.

May: After graduating from high school, Jon wanted to make something of himself just like his siblings. So he went to college, but he hadn't figured out a passion to pursue, and paying to learn something you might not even like is rough. So to his parents' disappointment, Jon decided to drop out of college. He wasn't sure what to do next, so he leaned into the work that had paid his bills over the last few months.

Jon: I pulled outta college, and I knew I was working in kitchens at the time. And I loved working in kitchens, whether it was just food running or being a barback. I started learning a lot more about it. And I – my first gig was as like a barista and moving up from there working as a food runner.

May: Jon's parents were worried. This brother of a brilliant educator and a popular musician worked in the service industry. Jon coasted through the Denver restaurant industry for several years, bouncing around from coffee shops to downtown bars and the Convention Center. He didn't hate it, but he wanted more. Jon was a hard worker, and other people started to notice, including a friend in the craft beer industry.

Jon: Guy sees me and he says, “Yeah man you work really hard in everything you do.” And he's like, “I think you should brew.” And I say, “I really wish I could get into that. But that sounds like something I need a degree for. I don't know that I could just be jumping into classes right now.” He's like… May: I literally got my hands full too. Jon: …Yeah. And he's just like,&nbsp; “okay dude.” He's like, “but I think you'd enjoy it.”

May: And that friend encouraged Jon to volunteer at Odyssey Beer Works for a few hours a week to teach him the ropes. One of the first things this son of a mechanic noticed was all the intricate machinery that made the brewing process possible.

Jon: And so I'm learning all these little things about brewing that I need to know. This is a TC clamp. These are the different gaskets you need to know. May:&nbsp; The terminology, the technology. Jon:&nbsp; Okay, cool. These are the different tanks. Oh, okay.

May: Jon's interest was captured real quick. He dove into learning everything he could about brewing. And Denver's a good place for that. It's a city famous for its breweries. Jon went to the local microbreweries, tasted their wares and developed opinions about what worked and what didn't. One of his favorites was a brew house called Dos Luces. That is where I met him for this conversation.

Jon: Yeah. When Dos Luces originally opened, I was here for their opening day. May:&nbsp; Oh, oh. As like a fan? Jon: Yeah. As a fan.

Dos Luces means two lights, which represent the two flagship fermented drinks that the brewery produces: Pulque, a drink made by the Aztec and Mayan people of Mesoamerica. And the second is Chicha, a drink made from purple corn by the Inca of South America.

Jon: Like I knew about Pulque. I hadn't had Chicha yet. And I was just like, this speaks to my heritage. Whatever you do, I support it one hundred percent.&nbsp;

May: Experiencing Pulque and Chicha at Dos Luces ignited and expanded Jon's imagination about all that brewing could be. Then a cidery around the corner from his apartment noticed his expertise and offered him a role in sales.

Jon: I was loving it at that point. And low key I started to have the ability to influence the ciders we were making, which – I was like, that's kind of cool. [Laughter] You were giving me that? You're giving me that flex? I was happy with my brew job.

May: Working at the cidery was different than any job Jon had had before. Not only was he working hard and being useful, but for the first time in his career, Jon was using and growing his knowledge in something that he was actually interested in. He felt fulfilled by the challenge. But something was missing, and soon fate intervened. That's after the break.

After almost two years at the cidery, Jon Barón had become confident in his knowledge of brewing. And then came the news.

Jon: They ended up buying a orchard in southern Colorado. Penrose is super far. And so it was like, “Andy, I love you. I really, really love you, but I cannot go out to Penrose like that. And it sucks.”

May: And by super far, he means a hundred miles away. In a snap, Jon's blossoming career in fermented drinks went flat. Jon still had bills to pay. So he went back into working in restaurants, and not long after that, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The restaurant industry in particular cut 2.5 million jobs. Jon was out of work and had no prospects. He almost lost everything.

Jon: I was so just in shock, and if I hadn't, like, had some sort of savings, I probably would've lost my apartment.

May: Then at his lowest point, the phone rang.

Jon: A couple weeks into the pandemic, Judd gives me the phone call, “Hey I don't know if you have the availability, but can you come in on Monday? I think I have a job for you.”

May: And by Judd, he means Judd Belstock, the owner of Jon's favorite brewery, Dos Luces. Remember? The one that makes Chicha and Pulque.

Jon: Yeah. I was like, “I'm interested. What's the position?” He's like, “I'd like you as my assistant brewer.”

May: What'd you think when he said that?

Jon: I was like, oh shit, I've never – I haven't updated my resume in so long [laughter].

May: Jon got the job. And now two years later, he welcomes me to the Dos Luces tap room as a brewer. It's a storefront space with a few tables near the entrance. You get a warm vibe when you come in. There's papel picado hanging from the ceiling, Latin American art on the walls. There are plants everywhere. Love that. The rest of the space is where the brews are made. A center walkway to the back door is flanked by these huge tanks filled with fermenting Chicha and Pulque. Jon was eager for us to try their signature drinks. So he brought over a flight of samples for me and my producer to try.

Jon: Starting from the handle, we have our Chicha Inti.

May: Okay. This is like an orange-ish.

Jon: Yeah. The orange color to it is really pretty. But this would be your traditional Incan or Mayan.

May: Ooh. That's very – fruit? Jon: Mm-Hmm. May: I'm not good at describing taste. [Laughter] It's very fruit. Like … No, not peach. Peach? No. Impossible.

Jon: [Laughter] That's really the flavor from the corn in all honesty that you're getting. May: Tastes like a juice. Jon: There's a, there's a little bit of [laughter] – That's good. What is it? I hear in rural parts of Southern America, and so on, a lot of the bottles that you'll see kids running around with are really filled with Chicha. [Laughter] How they get their kids to go to sleep a little faster. Yeah [laughter].

May: Jon told me that in Inca society, women are the brewers. And the process of how they do it is really cool. They chew up the purple corn because their saliva produces a special enzyme that starts the fermentation. Dos Luces’ other drink, Pulque, has deep history in Mexican and Aztec culture with several myths associated with the maguey plant that it's made from.

Jon: So this is gonna be our Pulque Metzli, the house Pulque. This is our traditional sour. This is what the Aztec would be drinking right before a sacrifice or something like this. May: Wow.

Let me tell you about how special this drink is. One of the myths of Pulque is that of the Aztec god of wind, Quetzalcoatl. After providing the people with the gift of corn, he realized that although the people's bellies were full, their hearts were not. They didn't sing, dance, or rejoice in any way. They needed something else, something to bring them joy and bliss. So Quetzalcoatl endeavored to find the beautiful goddess Mayahuel, who possessed a gift that he knew would bring joy to the people. But she was hidden away in a far corner of the cosmic heavens trapped by her evil grandmother.

Mayahuel longed for passion, romance, and for rescue. The wind god converted himself into a feathered serpent and flew up into the heavens in search of Mayahuel. When he finally found her, she agreed to escape with him and share with her people the gift of the maguey plant. Its leaves were used to create paper and dressings for wounds, the fibers used to create carpet and hammocks. And from the sap, del corazón de Mayahuel, they created Pulque. Now centuries later, Dos Luces is using modern equipment to make Chicha and Pulque, so they don't need to chew the corn in the traditional way. Rest easy. There is no spit in your beer. But understanding how to recreate those ancient techniques and finding ways to tweak the tastes for modern palates is part of what Jon loves about his work.

Jon: Just to give you kind of a rundown of what it is. The first vessel that you'll see over here is gonna be our HLT, which stands for hot liquor tank. Up there, our control panel controls our rake. And our second tank right here… May: Now Jon's not only become a respected brewer, but he's doing it in a way that speaks to who he is and offers him a future beyond Dos Luces.

Jon: I never in my life would've thought that I was gonna be a professional brewer and I'm really proud to be here. That's for sure. May: Yeah. Come a long way.

Jon: Yeah. I – I would proudly open my own brewery, but there's plenty more I have to learn. And I remember bringing that point up to Judd. And I said, “You know, one of my cousins said, oh, I should open my own.” And he's like, “You know what, Jon? I'll be really proud when you do, and I'll be there for your opening day. But you gotta promise me that you're gonna open up a Pulquería or a Chicharía.” And that was a moment where I was just like, “You know that's the only kind of brewery I'm gonna open, quit playing with me, Judd.” May: You don't need to tell me. Jon: Yeah, you don’t gotta tell me twice. So yeah, maybe one day. I look forward to that, but in time I still have a lot of learning to do here.

May: Finally, Jon's found what was missing at the cidery and all the jobs before that: a way to connect to his heritage. It's transcended into other parts of his life. Today Jon insists that people pronounce his last name the traditional way, despite his parents' attempts to Anglicize it.

Jon: They would try to let people say, oh, that's Jon Joe Baron. And I don't, I don't allow that. I'm proud of being a Barón. And I think that that's important. You should definitely take pride in saying your name is García, not Garcia or… May: Ortega. Jon: Exactly. Like those little things. Like, you know, you gotta take pride in who you are. I think the biggest thing is to live for your last name, not to live for your first. I don't care that people remember that I'm a brewer or anything, but I care that my family members are gonna be as strong as I am to find pride in their last name. And hopefully it continues.

May: And his newfound passion has also helped him feel more comfortable with another part of himself: being the little brother.

Jon: I like it because we all created our own paths. I was always the mischievous one. And so like helping make a beer called Travesura or… May: Love that [laughter]. Jon: …little things like that, you know? It's like, yeah. Maybe I was a little mischievous in my lifetime, but look at what came out of it, you know? And you can still be a professional and you can still do all these things that are, you know, important to the community.

May: What else can you tell me about how your parents feel about what you do now?

Jon: Oh, it's great. The moments where, like, my dad just looks at me and like, he – he'll hold my shoulders and be proud. Like, “mira mí Pulquero.” Like I'm like – huh? May: Aw.

Jon: Yeah [laughter] what up? You know what it is, Dad? And even my mom, like she [laughter], she always tries to bring me little ingredients or little things to… May: Really? Jon: …like, yeah, “Mijo, try this. You need to eat these more. You need to add more fruits in your beers” or something. [Laughter] And it's, I love that she’s just, you know, classic Latina mom. She wants to have her influence in anything that has flavor.

May: Behind every Chicano is his mom trying to tell him how he can be better [laughter].

Jon: I'm not gonna lie, Mom. [Laughter] You're probably right. You're probably right, but I'm gonna try it like that [laughter].

May: Jon Barón is the assistant brewer at Dos Luces in Denver, where he makes traditional Aztec, Mayan and Incan drinks distilled with centuries of myth and meaning. He also works with the nonprofit Can'd Aid building skateboards for underserved youth. I'm May Ortega. Luis Antonio Perez produced and mixed this episode, and it was edited by Erin Jones and Andrew Villegas. Our theme music is by Pedro Lumbrano. You can find a list of everybody who helped make this episode in the show notes. “¿Quién Are We?” is a production of Colorado Public Radio.

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¿Quién Are We? is a podcast from Colorado Public Radio exploring what it means to be Latino, Hispanic or Chicana ... or however you identify. Host and journalist May Ortega shares stories about our wide-ranging identities and the beautiful things that make us who we are.

¿Quién Are We?

Jon Baron discovered what had been missing from his life through a special drink brewed with centuries of myth and meaning.

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