Mexican beer
Mexican beer dates back to before the arrival of European
conquistadors in
America. As in most early societies,
Mayas and
Aztecs were brewing grain-based alcoholic beverages (primarily from corn) long before the Spanish arrived in
Mexico – in addition to
pulque, an indigenous fermented
drink made from the sap of the
agave plant, and the precursor of distilled
tequila. But it was the influx of German immigrants and the influence of a brief
Habsburg rule over the country in the middle of the 19th century that helped cement the art of brewing as an all-Mexican endeavor. Mexico spent four years under Austro-German emperor
Maximilian, who apparently never traveled without his brewmasters. As a result, two of the more popular brands of Mexican beer –
Negra Modelo and
Dos Equis Ámbar – come from the darker, more malty subset of German
lagers known as Vienna style. While not as weighty as most British
ales, the Mexican Viennas are fuller bodied with more malt sweetness and character than the pale
pilsners.
While at first, most modern brewers were small operations, by 1890, the first substantial, industrial brewing facility in the country was built in
Monterrey. Four years later another large brewery opened in
Orizaba. The industrialization of the Mexican beer business was on.
Most Mexican beers are produced by the two beer giants,
FEMSA and
Grupo Modelo. FEMSA is a general beverage corporation whose roots date to back to 1890 and the first large Mexican brewery,
Cervecería Cuauhtémoc in Monterrey. With their brands –
Tecate,
Sol,
Dos Equis,
Carta Blanca,
Superior,
Indio,
Bohemia and
Noche Buena – FEMSA is a major international brewer. Grupo Modelo has fewer brands but a larger part of the Mexican beer export market with
Corona,
Corona Light,
Negra Modelo,
Modelo Especial, and
Pacífico, their five export brands. They also brew brands intended solely for the domestic market:
Victoria (a recent advertising campaign for this brand was centered around the fact that it is unavailable abroad);
Estrella (a local beer found only in the west of the country; and
León and
Montejo (originally local to
Yucatán but nowadays available nationwide). Grupo Modelo is 51 per cent owned by
Anheuser-Busch but, due to a special arrangement, control of the company remains with Modelo's Mexcian shareholders.
Corona is the flagship beer of Grupo Modelo. It is a very light lager, and the number one imported beer in the world. Corona is the best-selling non-domestic beer in both the U.S. and U.K. Many say the brand's marketing and easy drinkability account for its success, as many beer aficionados agree that other Mexican lagers such as Dos Equis, Bohemia, Victoria, and Negra Modelo are far superior. While aficionados often argue that a beer of "superior" quality is one with a strong taste, consumers often prefer one with a simpler flavor.
No discussion of Mexican beer would be complete without mentioning the
lime. Serving Mexican beers, especially the light lagers such as Corona, with a slice of lime, is done primarily for tourists. Outside the tourist areas, and among native Mexicans, it is considerably less prevalent. However, a traditional drink does exist known as the
michelada, which is a drink composed of mostly light beer with a lot of lime juice (the equivalent of several chunks of lime).
