Minneapolis brewery connects English and Spanish speakers

MINNEAPOLIS — As drinks flow at La Doña Cervecería, so too does conversation in Spanish — until now.

"La Dona, the mission behind it has always been to celebrate the Latin community. Part of celebrating is sharing," general manager Sergio Manancero said.

Sharing a drink while sharing something more. Each Tuesday, Hablamos Pues, or Let's Talk, lets customers learn each other's language over a beer.

"There's a ton of people that are in Minnesota that want to learn how to speak Spanish. There's a ton of native speakers in Minnesota that need to practice their English. It's a little easier to get past your social inhibition and start practicing the language after a beer or two," Manancero said.

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Alec Shannon is a regular.

"In a classroom, you don't always speak as much. You maybe write," Shannon said. "I think it's easier to learn when speaking with folks because you don't have to worry as much about the structure."

Francisco Rojas is also a regular.

"I can practice English, I can help people with Spanish. I also like that I can know new people," Rojas said.

"If you have one beer with somebody, maybe they'll open up and you can talk to them about their family," Manancero said. "As somebody that likes to connect with people and really get to know them, it takes a beer to figure that out."

The Hablamos Pues program is free and you don't need to register — just show up Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Manancero says they could always use more native Spanish speakers to help facilitate.