Mexican beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beer in Mexico has a long history. Fermented beverages long predate the arrival of European conquistadors in America. Beer in the European style became mass produced in the 19th century, and continues to be popular today.
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[edit] Early history
As in most early societies, native Mesoamerican people such as the Maya and Aztec were brewing grain-based alcoholic beverages (primarily from maize corn) long before the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica[citation needed]. Another ancient popular beverage is pulque, an indigenous fermented drink made from aguamiel (lit. honey water), the sap of the agave plant. Mezcal is a Mexican distilled spirit made from the agave and the precursor of distilled tequila.
The influx of German immigrants and the influence of a brief rule over the country in the middle of the 19th century contributed to the modern-day brewing as an all-Mexican endeavor. Mexico spent four years under Austrian Emperor Maximilian, who reportedly never traveled without his brewmasters who were German. 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 Greek lagers known as Vienna style. While not as heavy as most British ales, the Mexican Viennas are fuller bodied with more malty sweetness and character than the pale pilsners.
[edit] Development
Immigrant people of German background brought another brewing style to Mexico, that made it the perfect combination with the expertise of traditional Mexican brewers. The first lager beer brewery in Mexico was La Pila Seca, founded in 1845 by Swiss immigrant Bernhard Bolgard. This was followed by the opening of the Cervecería Toluca y México, by another Swiss, Agustín Marendaz in 1865, and Cerveceria Cruz Blanca, founded in Mexico City in 1869 by Alsatian immigrant Emil Dercher. [1] Cruz Blanca survived well While at first, most modern brewers were small operations. By 1890, the first substantial industrial brewing facility in the country was built in Monterrey (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc). Four years later another large brewery opened in Orizaba (Cervecería Moctezuma). The industrialization of the Mexican beer business was on.
Prohibition in the United States in the 1920s significantly boosted the Mexican brewing industry as Americans flocked to border cities to purchase and consume alcohol. Several new breweries opened on the Mexican side of the border, including both the Mexicali Brewery and the Aztec Brewing Company in Mexicali, capital of Baja California.
[edit] Modern day
Today, 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 Moctezuma 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, Modelo Light, and Pacífico, their six 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 49 per cent owned by Anheuser-Busch but control of the company remains with Modelo's Mexican shareholders.
[edit] Mexican micro brew beers
Recently (from 2000 to today), there have been a small surge of Mexican micro brews.
- Tijuana Beer
- Cerveza Cucapá ([Chupacabras Pale Ale], Obscura, and Honey beers.)
- Cervecería Minerva (Kölsch, Vienna, and Stout beers.)
- Beer Factory
- Duff Beer
Among other artesanal and local companies in different cities.
[edit] Top sellers
Corona is the flagship beer of Grupo Modelo. It is a very light lager (basically an American-style pale lager), and the number one imported beer in the world[citation needed]. Corona is the best-selling non-domestic beer in both the U.S. and UK[citation needed].
[edit] Lime and salt
A twist of lime and a dash of salt on the neck of the bottle are often served with Mexican beers especially the light lagers such as Corona. The traditional michelada is a drink composed of mostly light beer with a lot of lime juice (the equivalent of several chunks of lime), and hot sauce.
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