Last Updated: January 12, 2022
Best Beer In Mexico (Not Corona)
Wondering what the best beer in Mexico is and how the country came to be one of the world’s best beer brewers? Join me as we take a dive into all the great beer in Mexico and learn a little bit about how it all started.
If I had to sum up Mexican beer in one word it would be – delicious. And apart from Corona, it can be a Mexico hidden gem too. Whether you prefer a light or dark Vienna style larger beer or straight up larger, a cold Mexican beer is about as refreshing as a beer gets, especially after a hard day’s work. But, there are loads to choose from so let’s look at the great ones now.
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Victoria Mexican Lager
Image courtesy of Flickr
Victoria Mexican Lager is one of the oldest Mexican largers that is brewed by Grupo Modelo and it’s one of the most delicious beers too. It’s brewed using a mixture of corn, hops, yeast, and black malt. The use of black malt in the brewing process is what gives this beer its deep amber color.
The taste of a Victorian Mexican Larger will transport you back to Vienna as it has all the hues of an Austrian pilsner. It tastes quite malty but clean and is dry, refreshing, and bright on your palette. It has a medium body but tastes lighter than you think when looking at the darker color compared to regular light largers.
It has a 4% alcohol content, is medium-bodied, malty, and slightly toasty with a clean finish. It is bright, dry, and refreshing with no grain notes to weigh it down.
Dos Equis Lager
Image courtesy of Flickr
Don Equis Lager is another great Mexican beer that has some Bavarian roots. It was invented by a German ex-pat called Wilhelm Hasse and it’s similar to a German Oktoberfest beer.
Don Equis is produced by the same brewery that makes Sol, which I’m sure you have either seen or tasted. It comes in two forms, the Don Equis Amber or the Clara which comes in a green bottle.
The Don Equis amber has a lovely golden color and it tastes quite hoppy and somehow manages to still be a smooth and refreshing beer. It’s got a much fuller body than most beer in Mexico and quite a sharp taste to go with it. The Don Equis Clara has more of a medium body and is a bit lighter and livelier than the amber.
Both are often drunk with a lime and Don Equis is slowly becoming one of the fastest-growing lagers in the USA.
Modelo Negra
Modelo Negra is one of the original beers from Grupo Modelo and it was Austrian ex-pats in Mexico who first made it and then it was first introduced as a branded beer in 1925.
Modelo Negra isn’t a lager, it’s a dark beer and one of the best dark beers in Mexico, as is proven by it being the best seller year after year.
Modelo Negra takes longer to brew than most Mexican beers but the results are clearly worth it. It’s made with the perfect combination of Galena hops, black malts, and caramel and the extra time in the barrel makes it a bit stronger with a 5.4% alcohol content.
Modelo Negra is also known as “The Cream Of The Beer” in Mexico and it is akin to a Munich Dunkel style dark lager. It has a smooth but rich taste that is balanced out between the hues of sweet fruit and nuts but also the bitterness of hops.
If you’re having a heavy Mexican meal like a Quesadilla then this is a great beer to pair with it.
Pacifico
Image courtesy of Flickr
Pacifico is one of the original German-influenced Mexican beer brands. It was first brewed in 1900 by three ex-pats from Germany in the port of Mazatlan on the Pacific coast or Cerveceria del Pacifico, hence how the beer got its name.
Today it’s one of the most popular beers in Mexico and one of the most popular Mexican beers outside of the country. Pacifico is a lager and is quite similar to Corona but a lot tastier in my opinion. It still has the refreshing and bright tastes of Corona but with more fizz and floral notes.
It still has a slightly watery thing going on like a lot of Mexican beers but the malt takes a lot of that away. I’d say that this is one of the most refreshing beers in Mexico and with a low 4.5% alcohol content it really hits the spot after a long day in the sun or on the water. It’s also perfect for day drinking too and goes great with a lime like most beer in Mexico.
Modelo Especial
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
If you have heard of Corona then chances are you have stumbled upon Modelo Especial as well, particularly as it’s the number two most sold Mexican beer brand in the United States.
Modelo Especial is a Pilsner beer and it was first brewed way back in 1925 and today is the second most popular beer in Mexico, after Corona.
Modelo Especial is very pale, almost see-through, but don’t let that put you off. It has a very herbal and citrus taste to it that comes from honey and orange blossom. You’ll also taste some light hops in there too which balances out the beer very nicely.
Modelo Especial has a 4.5% alcohol content and is super refreshing combining a rich but light and crisp vibe. It’s perfect for drinking in the hot Mexican sun and is usually served with a lemon, not a lime.
Tecate
Tecate is another one of the best Mexican beers and it was first brewed by Cervecería Tecate in 1944. It’s named after the city of Tecate which is in Baja just next to Tijuana and the Mexican border and was the first-ever beer in Mexico to be put into a can instead of a bottle.
Tecate is a hugely popular beer in Mexico both for its refreshing and delicious flavors and its connection to football and other sports via sponsorship.
Tecate comes in two forms, original and light. Tecate Original is a lager that is golden in color and its perfect blend of malts and hops along with its crisp finish are what makes it so delicious. It’s not bitter at all and has a nice clean taste to it.
Tecate Orginal has a 4.6% alcohol content and Tecate Light has a 3.9% alcohol content. Tecate Light has a similar but lighter taste than Tecate Original.
Corona Extra
Finally, we have arrived at the one Mexican beer that almost every beer drinker in the world knows and has probably tasted, the Corona Extra. It’s certainly not THE best beer in Mexico in my eyes and it’s known around the world as a party beer.
You might be surprised to hear, or maybe not, that Corona Extra is the most popular beer in a lot of US states including North Dakota, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, California, Florida, Maine, and Georgia. With so much fame and popularity, we could hardly leave Corona Extra off a list of Mexican beers.
Corona Extra isn’t the most delicious beer anywhere but it’s not the worst either. It’s very light and quite watery but when it’s ice cold and served with a lime wedge, then it’s very palpable, especially if you plan on drinking all day and night long.
Bohemia Oscura
Bohemia Osura might be the best beer in Mexico for anyone with a refined beer palate and it’s renowned as one of the best beers in the world.
It was first brewed by some German ex-pats in Mexico and is made with a perfect blend of hops, black malts, and caramel that comes together to create a pale beer which is then lightly carbonated.
Bohemia Oscura is a bock beer which means it’s stronger than your average lager and is darker in color too. Bohemia OScua has a 5.3% alcohol content and it has a very unique taste. It’s smooth with a touch of bitterness from the hops and then ends sweet from the black malts and caramel.
If you have never tried a Bohemia Oscura, it’s high time you did and it suits heavy Mexican food very well.
Sol
Image courtesy of Flickr
Sol is another famous beer in Mexico that rivals both Modelo Especial and Corona Extra for popularity across the globe. Sol beer is made for light daytime drinking in the sun, whether that’s why it’s called “Sol” or “Sun”, I don’t know.
Sol has a 4.5% alcohol content and is super refreshing and not bitter at all. It dates back to one of Mexico’s first breweries that opened in 1899 and hasn’t changed much since.
Sol has a light golden color and to me, it looks and tastes very similar to Corona Extra, but a little better. It has a little something extra in it compared to Corona Extra and is just, if not more refreshing. It’s also usually served with a lime wedge on the top which adds the bitterness that is missing for those who want it.
Indio
Another excellent beer in Mexico that you might not have heard of or tried is Indio. It’s a style of Vienna lager but it’s darker than most and is brewed with caramel and malt. It’s not your average Mexican beer as it’s very malty but it’s not overpowering which is why it’s so delicious.
Indio has a 4.1% alcohol content and it tastes a little sweeter than normal Mexican beer which balances out the malty taste and bitterness that arrived with it.
You might be surprised to hear that Indio is available in the US and has been for a few years and it’s slowly getting traction with beer fans across the country.
Dos Equis Ambar
Dos Equis Ambar is another great beer in Mexico for anyone who prefers something with a fuller body. It’s a dark amber Vienna larger and it’s brewed with a mixture of malt, caramel, brown sugar, dark rum, hazelnut, and vanilla.
This amazing blend of brewing ingredients gives rise to a delicious beer with a gold coppery color that has a huge depth of flavors. Hints of fruit and spices combine with a bitter-sweet refreshing taste and it’s the perfect early evening beer to have while sitting casually at home or before a meal.
Bohemia
Image courtesy of Flickr
Bohemia larger is based on a Czech beer and it tastes more European than most beer in Mexico. It was first brewed in Mexico back in 1905, is pale in color, and has a 4.7% alcohol content.
Bohemia is very drinkable as it goes down very easily. It has quite a fruity bouquet to it with a vanilla and cocoa taste alongside, and an excellent balance of sweetness and bitterness. If you’re not a fan of the more watery Mexican lagers, Bohemia is a good one to try.
Carta Blanca
Carta Blanca was the first premium beer to come out of the Cervecería Cuauhtémoc’s brewery and it has won numerous awards and global recognition as an awesome beer. You have probably heard of it and tasted it as you can find it in most countries around the world and dates back to 1890.
Carta Blanca has a 4.5% alcohol content and is made with the highest quality ingredients. The golden color of Carta Blanca leads to a crisp, smooth, and refreshing taste that simply makes you want to drink more of it.
It’s made from a mixture of Malted Barley, Corn Starch, and Hops which are perfectly balanced to give Carta Blanca its fantastic taste.
The History of Mexican Beer
Mexico has been brewing beer for a long time and it all started with the indigenous Meso-americans who began making beer out of corn and agave – if you can call it beer. Then the Spanish came to Mexico and with them, barley and wheat, which is when Mexico started brewing beer as we know it today.
In the late 1890s, Mexico was home to a lot of German immigrants and they took the beer brewing in Mexico one step further. They started brewing Austrian and Bavarian-style beers and this is why some Mexican beers are similar in taste to Bavarian lagers and pilsners.
In the early 1900s, there were already 36 major beer brewers in Mexico and business boomed as the US went into prohibition. Everyone would cross the border to enjoy any Mexican booze they could get their hands on, and beer was a major part of that.
Eventually, the 36 major breweries were bought up and merged into two companies that are still in control of the Mexican beer market today – Cerveceria Cuautehmoc-Moctezuma and Grupo Modelo. They own around 90% of the Mexican beer market today including some famous favorites like Corona Extra and Modelo.
Today, Mexican beer is hugely popular all over the USA and the rest of the world, with around 67% of imported beer sales over the last 10 years coming from Mexico.
Beer Styles In Mexico
As you have probably gathered from the information above, the most common beer styles in Mexico are based on European beers. These include Pilsners, Vienna dark beer, Munich dark beer, Munich-style dark beers, and good old Mexican Lager which gets its unique taste from corn.
You also have a number of microbreweries in Mexico too, which we’ll discuss next.
Are there microbreweries in Mexico?
Mexico is a little behind in the huge explosion of craft beer that has taken over Europe and the USA but they are slowly catching up. More and more microbreweries are popping up in Mexico and the world of beer is starting to change in the country with more craft beers available in bars and shops.
You’ll find most of the craft beer microbreweries in Mexico in the northern part of the country and two of the most famous as Cucapa and Minerva. But there are lots more too including Cervecería Insurgente, Cerveza Urbana, , Baja Brewing and Cerveceria San Angel.
Drinking beer the Mexican way
We all know that lager beer in Mexico is usually served with a lime wedge stuffed into the neck of the bottle which adds a delicious citrus flavor. But, did you know that they also make beer into a cocktail called Michelada?
I can only describe a Michelada as a Mexican version of a bloody mary but instead of using vodka, beer is put in instead. Beer is mixed with lime juice, salt, pepper, tabasco, Worcester sauce, soy sauce, and tomato juice to make quite a tasty cocktail.
It’s great to drink at times when a bloody mary seems appropriate, so when you’re hungover, having an early drink with brunch, or enjoying an evening cocktail.
Where can I find good Mexican beer?
If you’re south of the border in Mexico then finding all the best beers in Mexico featured in the article will be incredibly easy. Between the local liquor store and your local bars, you should find them all.
But if you’re not in Mexico then you’re going to have to look a little harder. Most liquor stores in the US stock some Mexican beers but if you want something specific you’re better off ordering online. Drizly has an excellent selection of Mexican beers and will ship them to your door.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
