Kansas City's first Hispanic beer company wants to start 'meaningful conversations'

Rizoma Liquid Creations officially launched its first brew, a Latin American ale named “El Sol," on Wednesday at Raytown's Crane Brewing. Brewer Damon Arredondo and designer Edwing Mendez wanted to use beer as a way to explore their mixed cultural identities.
Defining his own cultural identity has been a lifelong struggle for Damon Arredondo, the longtime brewer said. Coming from a mixed-cultural background, Arredondo often felt as if there was “a checklist” that decided whether or not he was able to identify with his heritage, he shared.

“Only recently in the last five year have I been comfortable identifying as Latinx, Hispanic, Mexican American. And the reason being is I grew up in the suburbs. I have a Mexican last name; I’m Brown; I speak basic Spanish — but culturally, I never grew up with it,” said Arredondo, the co-founder of Rizoma Liquid Creations, Kansas City’s first Hispanic Brewing Company.