What is the best Mexican beer?

In order to find this out, the Cycling Cicerone recruited some friends Taylor and Callie and we did a full blast tasting panel. We examined the appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, and flavor of 9 different Mexican beers and did a very scientific analysis. If you want to know which Mexican beer to buy, this is your guide. If you think they all taste the same, then think again.

Partially as a disclaimer, I would like to thank my truly absurd tasting panel judges for their help in determining our favorite imported Mexican beer! Spoiler alert, Pacifico wins.

Dos Equis

Appearance - yellow
Aroma - slightly fruity
Mouthfeel - easy drinking light beer
Flavor - very clean, lacks distinct flavors including anything I would describe as “cerveza-ey”.
Comments - “Warm Bud Light with a hint of Coors” “Boozy. This might have been sitting here too long, that’s my bad” “It makes an excellent baseline beer. I could drink this all day. “

Corona Extra

Appearance - very yellow
Aroma - dank.
Mouthfeel - light beer, but with strong biting carbonation and bitterness
Flavor - tastes like cerveza. Instantly makes me think of limes even though limes never touched it. That’s marketing.
Comments - “420 levels of dankness.” “Looks like sick urine but tastes way better.” “strong, dank, bitter, fresh, classic”

Corona Familiar

Appearance - very yellow
Aroma - old beer smell. Slightly oxidized, perhaps
Mouthfeel - relatively full. Almost craft beer level
Flavor - less bitter, a strong hint of malt flavors
Comments - “Not dank. Smells flat and old...like Opera. Tastes like a top 40 banger” “you should be swimming while you drink this so your lightness can counter out the heaviness of this beer. I did not find my beach”

Corona Light

Appearance - very yellow, perhaps even more so
Aroma - not dank.
Mouthfeel - co2 bubbles like crazy
Flavor - very blank taste. Slightly bitter
Comments - “ I FOUND MY BEACH” “¾ Post Malones”

Sol

Appearance - slightly darker than yellow, edging on pale
Aroma - charmingly roasty and malty (but only slightly)
Mouthfeel - heavy
Flavor - sweet, almost meaty, but otherwise very clean
Comments - “Candy-like” “Meh” “Tastes like it was left on the floor of a butcher”

Estrella Jalisco

Appearance - between Sol and Corona, that is, yellow.
Aroma - very neutral. Corona light like
Mouthfeel - relatively full
Flavor - similar to Sol, slightly meaty. Quickly dissipating bitterness.
Comments - “Looks like Corona Light, but tastes like Corona Familiar!” “It has a very authentic sounding name”

Pacifico

Appearance - very yellow
Aroma - ricey/grainy
Mouthfeel - light beer. Easy drinking
Flavor - very neutral. Much like Corona Light
Comments - “tastes like Pacifico if Pacifico was Corona Light” “Smells like baked goods and pairs well with Despacito” “A+++++”

Carta Blanca

Appearance - slightly darker yellow, and I mean slight in the slightest sense.
Aroma - citrusy, orangey… almost
Mouthfeel - light
Flavor - vaguely fruity, but still clean and crisp
Comments - “slightly spicy” “Did someone add a drop of triple sec to this?” “Smells like a Blue Moon ad” “Tastes like this non-alcoholic beer I had once in Berlin, but not as bad”

Modelo Negra

Appearance - dark amber color. The only one on this list that isn't yellow.
Aroma - malty, almost cake like. Slight whiff of chocolate
Mouthfeel - full
Flavor - strong aftertaste that hangs for a bit. Caramelly.
Comments - “smells and tastes just like that Berlin beer and now I have PTSD” “Limey, soapy, and kinda yucky”

By a vote of 2 to 1, Pacifico was the winner. Second place goes to Corona Light. These were the most neutrally flavored of the bunch so I guess we can see how the current state of society came around.

This is an analysis of many Mexican beers available in the states. Some are missing. This also isn’t a thoughtful analysis of real Mexican beers, the kinds you can actually get in Mexico, just the handful of delicious, sun-soaked, lime adorned beers that can make it all the way here. Enjoy the sun!

Taste Test - Mexican Beer