Seek out Mexican lagers for hot summer days
-
Loading... - Gretel Meier
- 06 Jul 2022
- 122 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
With the growth in the production of lagers by small craft breweries in the past two years, many new lighter, more refreshing beer styles have become available.
An impressive number of California breweries have produced Mexican lagers recently, and these beers fall into two main categories.
The first group is light lagers, similar to commercial American or Mexican beers such as Miller and Corona
Extra that use corn as an adjunct for mild sweetness, very light color and low-finishing gravities.
The second group includes variations on Vienna lager, a traditional amber lager beer style that traveled from Austria to Mexico in the late 1800s. Vienna lagers were traditionally brewed with malted barley, but corn has replaced some of the barley (thinning out the beer and reducing the malt complexity) in commercial Mexican versions such as Modelo Negra and Dos Equis Amber.
Light Mexican lagers
• Para Todos, brewed by Original Pattern Brewing Co. in Oakland, weighs in at 5.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), a little bit higher than most Mexican light lagers, which tend to be closer to 4.5%. Pouring a clear, pale straw color with a moderate white head, the aroma focuses on delicate herbal noble hop notes, with minimal malt character. The malt flavor is light and clean, with slight sweetness from the flaked maize in the brew and an herbal, minty hop bitterness and flavor. The beer is light-bodied with bright carbonation and a crisp, refreshing finish. The flavors are distinct but low intensity, paying homage to the classic Mexican macro beers while still demonstrating handcrafted character.
• San Francisco’s Laughing Monk Brewing produces its 5.5% ABV Willie Maize Mexican Lager just in time for baseball season each year. With a crystal-clear straw color and dense white head, pilsner malt and pleasantly sharp notes of citrus zest from Motueka hops join forces in the aroma. On the palate, moderate clean bitterness gives way to spicy and herbal hop flavor with touches of bright lime zest. While the pilsner malt is more prominent up front, delicate corn sweetness comes out in the finish, balanced by hop bitterness. Light-bodied with spritzy carbonation, the beer is refreshing and flavorful, and the lime notes of the Motueka hops are a fun twist on the lime wedge often served with Mexican lagers.
Amber Mexican lagers
• While Luna de Miel is sold as a Mexican lager by Urban Roots Brewery in Sacramento, it is brewed more in the European tradition of Vienna lagers, with pilsner, Vienna and Caramunich malts. At 4.8% ABV and 20 International Bitterness Units (IBU), the beer is a sparkling orange-copper color with a long-lasting moussy white head. The aroma highlights toasted bread and mild nuttiness, with no hop notes to speak of. The malt flavor, reminiscent of crusty bread, is accompanied by moderate woody hop bitterness and flavor. Smooth and well-carbonated, with a medium body, the brew finishes with a balanced, crisp malt taste that also includes subtle sweetness and delicate bitterness.
• Like Urban Roots, Clandestine Brewing in San Jose produces a Mexican amber lager that highlights traditional European malt character despite the inclusion of some flaked maize. V Is for Viva Mexico, at 5.3% ABV and 19 IBU, is a clear medium-brown color with reddish highlights in the glass and features a moderate off-white head. Light-toasted bread crust malt and subtle floral hops dominate the nose, while a well-balanced combination of moderately toasted malt and crisp but restrained herbal hop bitterness fill out the flavor. With medium body, bright carbonation and a light mouthfeel, the beer finishes crisply, with equal parts pleasant hop bitterness and light but complex malts. Read More...
