Mexican Lager

Today's Beers

  • Corona Extra
  • Hop Saint Las Olas
  • Dos Equis Amber Especial
  • Negra Modelo
  • Baja Escorpian Black Ale
  • Trademark A La Playa (Lime & Salt)
  • Modelo Chelada

Why the Lime?

  • No clear history to it
  • "Reasons/Stories" given
    • Questionable notions like:
      • Disinfects the water used in the beer 
      • Disinfects the bottle top and removes rust from bad caps
      • Keeps the flies out
    • Taste reasons
      • Obscures skunkiness, reduces bitterness
      • party in your mouth, vacation on your mind (the Corona effect)

Speaking of Skunking

  • Skunking not from Chilling/Reheating the beer
  • Due to the interaction of UV light and hop compounds
    • 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (MBT)
  • Use of clear/green glass makes this "worse"
  • Miller and others have switched to light stablized hop extract
  • Corona? Let's see...

I'm Mean

Mexican Brewing

  • Indigenous Brews
    • Chica/Tesgüino (corn)
    • Pulque (agave)
    • Tepache (pineapple/sugar)
  • Mid-late 1800's - heavy Austrian/German influence
    • Second Mexican Empire
    • Porfiriato (military dictactorship)
    • They bring Pilsner, Helles, Vienna inspired beers

Mexican Brewing

  • These Days
    • 90+% of the beer in Mexico is produced by
      • FEMSA (Heineken partnered)
        • Tecate, Sol, Dos Equis
      • Grupo Modelo (ABI owned)
        • Corona, Modelo, Pacifico
      • Growing craft scene - particularly in Baja California/Tijuana and the other border areas

What is Mexican Lager

  • The BJCP classes them under "International X Lager"
  • You'll see terms like Clara and Obscura (clear and dark)
  • What separates them from American Adjunct lagers?
  • Variant Lagers with corn/pilsner malt - noble hops
  • Yeast Strains:
    • WLP940 Mexican Lager (Modelo)
    • OYL-113 Mexican Lager
    • Really any clean neutral lager yeast - 34/70, Diamond, etc

Template Clara

  • Gravity: 1.040-50ish, IBUs 10-20
  • Grain:
    • 70% Pilsner
    • 30% Maize
    • sometimes partial additions of Vienna or Munich
  • Hops
    • 60 minute addition of Saaz, Mittelfruh, Tett, Sterling, Williamette

Template Obscura

  • Gravity: 1.045-50ish, IBUs 15-25
  • Grain:
    • 80% Vienna
    • 10% Maize
    • 10% Caramunich/Crystal
  • Hops
    • 60 minute addition of Saaz, Mittelfruh, Tett, Sterling, Williamette

Mexican Lager

By Drew Beechum

Mexican Lager

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