This story was originally published by The Merced FOCUS.
Downtown Merced will soon have a new taproom to appeal to local beer enthusiasts – a family-friendly place themed in homage to its owners’ Latino heritage.
Abraham Santana, 25, and his older brother Isaac, 28, are busy preparing for the opening of Una Más Taproom this winter near Main and K streets, right in the heart of downtown.
As entrepreneurs they are following in the footsteps of their parents, who are co-owners of Imagine Graphics, a 17-year-old embroidery and graphic design business in south Merced.
They will soon begin renovating the exterior of the property at 420 W Main St., following the Merced City Council’s approval of their request for a Type 40 alcohol license during Monday’s council meeting.
“In our culture ‘una más, y nos vamos,’ is more than a saying, to us it’s a feeling,” Abraham said, adding the taproom’s name translates to “one more” in Spanish.
The first-generation Mercedian explained the taproom’s name alludes to endless cherished moments with family and friends. “We love great beer and good conversations,” Abraham said. “So one more drink, one more laugh, one more moment together. That’s the spirit we want to embody at Una Más tap room.”
The Santana brothers said they want to contribute to a niche market for draft beer fanatics, while having a collaborative approach that supports established downtown taprooms and businesses with similar values.
“Our respects to 17th Street Pub who’s been doing it for a while,” Abraham said, and Isaac chimed in agreement. Founded in 2013, the 17th Street Public House features locally-produced craft beer and wine.
“We’re really big fans of what Hola Cafecito is doing,” Isaac added–mentioning the cafe which opened on Main Street earlier this year– to which Abraham explained, “The way they’ve done stuff and the way The Sensory Lab (cafe) has done stuff is by making something different. Even though there are multiple coffee shops, each one still has its own, unique characteristic. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
While beer aficionados might gravitate to Una Más for beer, locals who prefer mixed cocktails can still find a drink to their liking, Abraham said. The Santana brothers plan to do things differently by offering complimentary cup samples so visitors can discover a beer that is right for them.
Una Más’ owners say they understand beer is a developed taste, and admit they did not immediately enjoy sipping their first beers. That’s why their bartenders will offer complimentary drink samples, including draft beers that taste like mixed alcohol drinks.
“Beer is like music, there’s so much to it, and I didn’t really look at it that way back then,” Abraham said, referring to his time as a relative newbie to beers. “I thought of beer as just beer, they all taste the same. No – there are a lot of genres of beer, just like there are in music.”
The inspiration behind Una Más
Abraham thought of starting his own taproom through his involvement as a board member with The Man Up Opportunity Foundation.
The nonprofit organization hosts a popular fundraising event called “Pizza and Pints” that brings local brewers together like Turlock’s Dust Bowl, Clovis’ Crow and Wolf and Fresno’s Tioga-Sequoia. The event’s goal is to raise funds for youth sports in Merced.
Most board members have played for the Merced Skimmers Swim Team, said Isaac, who is a former Skimmer himself. The Merced Skimmers are student athletes across Merced County who participate in national swim competitions.
For Abraham, swimming is more than just a hobby. He was diagnosed with asthma as a child and began swimming by his doctor’s recommendation. He credits playing aquatic sports to the remission of his flare-up asthma symptoms.
In March, Abraham purchased the Main Street property with the intention of establishing a family-style bar that can accommodate minors.
Santana said his 5-month old daughter and nephews are the inspiration behind the business idea.
“Obviously, there’ll be non- alcoholic drinks for the kids,” Santana said. “A lot of times I see families (say), ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go have a drink…but wait, we got to leave the kids somewhere,’” he said.
A Type 40 alcohol license will permit Una Más to sell beer for off-site consumption and requires the owners to sell appetizers and snacks. “I just can’t emphasize enough that we’re really striving for this place to be family-friendly,” Abraham said.
They will begin remodeling the exterior of the property near Bob Hart Square in the next couple of weeks.
During Monday’s city council meeting, Abraham petitioned council members to approve moving forward with obtaining the alcohol license.
“This isn’t a short-term project for us; we’re here to make a lasting impression on Merced. Our goal is to become a staple in the community — a place people can count on for years to come,” he stated in his letter to council members.
“We don’t want to be a business that, you know, people get excited for and then just we kind of just pull out or whatever. We want to be here for the long run and mean something to the community, and help the community in any way we can,” Abraham Santana told The Merced Focus.