Beer of the Week (Vol. CXLVI)

Another special better late than never edition of Beer of the Week sponsored as always by the calm and cool folks at Glen Lake Wine & Spirits who can help find the wine, whiskey, and beer you need without losing your head.

I spent most of last week on a business trip to Mexico and I am happy to report that I returned with all critical body parts (head, hands, etc.) still firmly attached to my torso. And I had the opportunity to enjoy a few cervesas along the way. In general, Mexican beer does not enjoy a good reputation in the United States. And while that negative impression is in some part deserved, there are some rays of light when it comes to swilling south of the border.

One example is Indio brewed by the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery. It’s a dark lager that has more flavor and a bit more of a hop bite than one usually associates with Mexican beers. Victoria from Grupo Modelo is another Mexican beer that isn’t particularly exciting, but fares well when compared to the likes of Corona.

And on this most recent trip, I tried a Bohemia Weizen for the first time and found it quite refreshing. It’s another offering from the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery which also produces the decent Bohemia pilsener. The Bohemia Weizen is a wheat beer with a higher alcohol content than you usually find in Mexican beers. It’s somewhat comparable to a Leinie’s Sunset Wheat (with less citrus punch) and it makes for a good alternative in a land of light lagers.

But it seems like the few decent beers that you find in Mexico are hard to come by in the United States. Corona is ubiquitous. Tecate is widely available. And we’re all familiar with the beer from this brilliant ad campaign:



Our beer of the week is Dos Equis Lager. Stay thirsty my friends.

12oz green bottle. Green and gold label with a couple of prominent red Xs as per the name.

STYLE: Lager

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 4.3%

COLOR (0-2): Pale yellow and very clear. 1

AROMA (0-2): A bit of bitterness. 1

HEAD (0-2): Bright white color. Decent volume, but it dissipates rapidly. 1

TASTE (0-5): Mostly tepid flavors of sweet malt and corn. Clean and dry finish. Very drinkable. 2

AFTERTASTE (0-2): Fades very fast. 1

OVERALL (0-6): The bearded chap may well be the most interesting man in the world, but the beer he prefers (when he drinks beer) is far from the most interesting. Dos Equis Lager’s bland flavors are remindful of a typical American adjunct lager and there’s not much here to separate it from any macro offering. If you want to enjoy Mexican beer, there are better options out there even if they might be a little harder to locate. 2

TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 8