In the last decades of the 1800s, these immigrants were led by Maximilian I of Mexico (German/Austrian Origin), and he, notably, had a brewer who brewed Vienna and darker lagers. The beer recipes they brought with them were closer to Vienna Lager than Clara and for years, Vienna and Vienna Lagers brewed with maize were the standard in popular commercial Mexican beer brewing. However, the origin of most common references to Mexican Lager is in the 19th century when Austrian and German immigrants settled in Texas and Mexico. Mayans in Mexico were brewing complex flavored fermented chocolate drinks and for over 1,000 years Mexicans have been brewing and drinking Pulque, a drink similar to beer brewed with the fermented sap of certain maguey (agave) plants that could get over 6% ABV.Īlso in that time period, fermented corn and honey beverages were common in Mexico, and tesgüino (alcoholic corn drink) and tepache (fermented honey beverage) is still brewed by historic brewers in Mexico. Mexican Brewing Traditions and a Quick History of Mexican LagerĪs early as 900 B.C. Pilsner malt is typically the base malt of a Pale Lager or Clara, and Mexican Lagers with more of an amber color will commonly also use Vienna, Munich, Victory, and other similar malts to impart their respective characteristics. Flaked maize, for reference, is corn with proteins, oils and other components removed that can be added to a mash during the brewing process. The use of corn in common macro brewery Mexican Lagers in the form of flaked maize to enhance crispness and decrease the cost of the malt bill is also quite controversial and many American brewers have aimed to improve on the style by using other adjuncts or by substituting technique to create the same drinking experience. Vienna Lager is also a key style in the Mexican Lager group and the flavor profile of Vienna Lager has inspired many Mexican Lagers that are amber in color and include adjuncts like corn/maize, but the Vienna Lager style does not traditionally include this adjunct. The Mexican Lager style is controversial because it can refer to many different beers, but generally, the reference is to a clean lager with low bitterness and high clarity that we commonly reference as a Clara. Mexican Lagers brewed by macro breweries in Mexico are extremely popular in the United States and Worldwide. It’s more flavorful than a normal macro Mexican Lager.” Intro to the Mexican Lager Style
However, the key to Mexican Lager will always be drinkability, which is what I feel makes our’s stand out as something refreshing on a hot day. Mexican Lagers are a style of beer that can be interpreted in various ways with some brewers using different ingredients and methods to put their own spin on them. This blending gives us a beer that has a floral, bready aroma with a complex flavor and a clean finish.
We really bridge the gap between traditional European lagers by using some Pilsner, Vienna malt, and German noble hops and more American style craft beer by using the US, 2-row barley, and Mexican Lager yeast. After scaling it up we had a baseline for adjustments.
Kevin and Jeff had a recipe that they had been brewing on their respective homebrew systems for years, so that was where I started. “When I first got to Silver Bluff Brewing Company and we were going over what the first beers would be, I was given one note about the Mexican Lager: “More Modelo than Pacifico”.