Mexican Lagers: The Origins a Long Way From the Americas

*This essay is updated (added to, and/or modified) from previous publications, authored by me, on the subject elsewhere*

September 16th, Mexican Independence Day.

What did we get when Austrians, Bavarians, Swiss, and Germans migrated to the Americas? If you said the accordion and polka-inspired music (Banda/Norteña), you would probably be correct. If you said beer, you’d also be correct! Mexican Lagers have a unique history that most of us never consider. This past is grounded in monarchy, deception, and political fallacies. Today is Mexico's Independence Day and I want to show my pride for my heritage by not only talking about its beer, but also the events that brought it here! Put that lime wedge down for just a second and let us discuss the origins of Mexican Lager and some Mexican history.

Mexico’s declaration of independence came on Sept. 16, 1810. Until the revolution began a century later in 1910, there was still a bit of turmoil. Along with other important historical events, the beer-related one is when an Austrian native declared himself emperor of Mexico, thinking it was the will of the Mexican people.

During the Napoleonic occupation of Mexico, Maximilian I, Archduke of Austria, born in Vienna, was crowned Emperor of Mexico in 1864. Unaware of an arrangement by conservative Mexicans to overthrow Liberal President Benito Juarez, and Napoleon III, who wanted to continue his reign and collect money, Maximillan I accepted the throne as Emperor of Mexico thinking he was democratically elected to it. He was not; he was deceived.

While Maximilian I held up many reforms, such as indigenous protections, and continued to antagonize the Roman Catholic hierarchy, Juarez continued to assert himself as the legitimate leader of the Mexican people. Furthermore, the condemnation of the power and privilege once held by the Catholic church is completely against conservative ideology. Refusing to reinstate any power or return confiscated treasures to Roman Catholics resulted in them (conservative Mexican powers that be) no longer supporting the empire as they once did.

With the American Civil War ending, the Monroe Doctrine was enforced. This forced the French to withdraw leaving Maximilian I at a major disadvantage. Eventually, Juarez exploited this turn of events and, on June 19th, 1867, Maximilian was executed.

Depending on one's individual perception and predisposed ideals, Maximilian I can be looked at in one of two ways. He can be seen as the invading monarch who tried to usurp Benito Juarez. Or he can be seen as a tragic character who was a victim of deception while validly trying to rule under his liberalistic principles in his new homeland. His quote before execution supports the latter: “Voy a morir por una causa justa, la de la independencia y la libertad de México. Que mi sangre selle las desgracias de mi nueva patria. ¡Viva México!”.

Translated quote: “I will die for a just cause, that of the independence and freedom of Mexico. My blood pays the price for the disgraces of my new homeland. Long live Mexico!”

I am quite proud of my Mexican culture, and it is no surprise that I, and many of my fellow Mexicans, have a fair amount of Western European genetics, as well. And now we know why. This would also explain my personal affinity towards German culture, too.

Back to the beer. We begin where most Lagers begin: in Germany. And Austria since they were unified at this time. Upon returning from a research trip to England with a fellow brewer in 1833, Anton Dreher began experimenting with a revolutionary malt-roasting technique. A few years later, Dreher released a paler amber Lager made with his pale grain, dubbed Vienna Malt. This beer is what ultimately became the Vienna Lager. More on its evolution in Austria/Germany here!

While these beers lost popularity as quickly as they gained it thanks to the emergence of the Pale Lager in modern-day Czechia in 1842, German and Austrian immigrants were making their way to the Americas, specifically Mexico. As mentioned above, in 1864, Maximillian I became Mexico’s emperor, bringing Vienna Lager with him. There was an influx of Lager brewing, including brewers who produced Lager in the Vienna style. While Maximillian may have been executed by 1867, the thirst for Vienna Lager remained.

Santiago Graf, a Swiss-born brewer living in Mexico in the late 1800s, purchased Compania Cervecera Toluca y Mexico from a fellow Swiss immigrant. Graf soon began to import the ingredients to make the Vienna-style Lager. He would later start using a locally abundant and inexpensive ingredients (maize, specifically). Eventually, the pale Lager would gain popularity in Mexico, too, and evolve into the popular golden beer we see in advertisements with a lime wedged into the neck of the bottle. You can still find remnants of the Vienna Lager, however.

Worthy of note is that it has been documented that Victoria's beer anthropology can be traced back to Graf's brewery. Remember that the next time someone looks at you with a raised brow of judgment while you proudly take a refreshing drink of history.

Cervecería Cuauhtémoc, the first major Mexican Lager brewery, was born in 1891. In the first half of the 1900s, there were about 35 independent breweries in Mexico. Hereafter, as with most businesses, there was a period of consolidation resulting in only two major Mexican brewery groups. The two groups are Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma and Grupo Modelo. Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma offers brands such as Bohemia, Carta Blanca, Indio, Noche Buena, Sol, Superior, Tecate, and  Dos XX/Dos XX Amber. Grupo Modelo runs the brands Corona, Estrella, Modelo/Negra Modelo, Montejo, Pacifico, Victoria, and a few others. Thankfully, there is a bit of a craft beer boom happening in Mexico. There are plenty of small, independent breweries now making some delightful beers.

The traditional Vienna Lager is made by utilizing Vienna malt, sometimes making up 100% of the grains are light amber to copper hued with a firm bitterness behind the elegant malt, medium body, moderate carbonation, and a range of around 4.7% to 5.5% ABV. You find a delicate bready character, often with light toasty notes, crisp cereal maltiness, and a dry finish. By contrast, the lighter, more common version, typically labeled as Mexican Lager, more resembles the American Lager than its historically Germanic cousin. Color ranges from light-toned straw to gold for the pale versions with medium-low to medium bitterness, high carbonation, and a range of 4.5% to 6% ABV or so. The use of flaked maize gives them an aroma of sweet corn along with a vitamin zing from the yeast. Quite the drinkable and refreshing beer.

Here on this side of the border in Orange County, CA, we have some amazing examples of Vienna and Mexican Lagers. Stereo Brewing in Placentia offers its Oktoberfest as a Vienna Lager that’s available around this time of year. Toasted burnt sugar and dark honey flavors and firm bitterness on the finish. Helmsmen Ale House in Newport Beach usually has a Vienna Lager as well. A readily available and fantastic Pale Mexican Lager is the award-winning Carlos Danger from Bearded Tang in Stanton. Lumino from Unsung is also an award-winner and shows off the light corn-like sweetness and water crackers typical of the style. Unsung also recently made an imperial version of Lumino and it was amazing! Artifexican by Artifex is usually always available to take care of your thirst, and is yet another award-winner. 1886 in Orange regularly offers Norteño Lite, a crisp and lively pale version that needs more love and should be brewed regularly. Radiant, GameCraft, Green Cheek, Santa Ana River, Rad, and Bottle Logic usually offer wonderful and invigorating Pale and/or Amber Mexican Lagers. Keep an eye out at those locations and other local spots to release one if they have not already.

With food, it is important to remember to keep the intensities in mind and keep the salsa and chile at respectable levels to avoid overpowering the beer. Mexican Lagers tend to find themselves alongside Tex-Mex, traditional Mexican plates, and Latin American cuisine. Tacos, Burritos, Tostadas, Enchiladas, or Nachos find wonderful partners with both versions of the Lager, lime or not. They won’t offend the dish and the carbonation will provide a nice contrast by scrubbing away any fats and oils. However, some grilled fish tacos might be the best example where both versions of the Lager will find an ally. Keep it simple here and char the fish over the grill and serve on a corn tortilla that has been heated over the same flame with a bit of oil, add some onion, cilantro, cabbage or lettuce, and squeeze some lime into it to resonate with the refreshing nature of the beer. Side dishes like earthy beans, savory rice, and umami-rich cotija cheese will flavor-hook with the cracked cereal grain and corn flavors in the Lager. The darker Vienna Lagers find partners with dishes when grilled and roasted meats are involved to bridge the browning in the carne asada, pollo a la parrilla, or al pastor with the toasted bread and gram cracker notes in the beer.

We all have traditions. Although I may not always express it, my Mexican heritage flows through my blood as freely as these beer styles at a ‘fiesta de cumple.’ I dedicate much time with my family -my father in particular- and we devote hours upon hours chatting about absolutely nothing while enjoying a few Mexican Lagers. Even though beers from Mexico have Germanic origins, the connections I've built with my father have no borders. It is because of him that I am who I am. And a good Mexican Lager beer, lime or not, will always be what keeps us together.

¡Salud y Viva México!

-Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

References

Alworth, J. (2015, 2021). The Beer Bible. Workman.

Amato, M. (2014). Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer… Even More. Appetite by Random House.

Carpenter, D., (2017). Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World's Most Popular Beer Styles. Voyageur Press.

Dornbusch, H. D. (1997). Prost! The Story of German Beer. Brewers Publications (Brewers Association).

Kraus-Weyermann, T., Dornbusch, H. D. (2018). Dark Lagers: History, Mystery, Brewing Techniques, Recipes. Master Brewers Associations of the Americas (MBAA).

Herz, J., Conley, G. (2015). Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros. Voyageur Press.

McCalman, M., Gibbons, D. (2009). Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. Clarkson Potter.

Oliver, G. (2003). The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. HarperCollins.

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maximilian-archduke-of-Austria-and-emperor-of-Mexico

Beer and Food Are My Weaknesses

Beer and food are my weaknesses.

That may come off as if I can't say no to food and beer. What I mean is that my weakness is when both food and beer are together as a subject; food and beer pairing is the weakest part of my beer knowledge.

 
Don’t get me wrong, I like to eat. Have you seen me!? My physique confirms it.
 
I am not a foodie by any means. I like my food plain in most cases. It makes sense then that the food and beer pairings I find interesting and/or want to explore are the simple ones. For example smoked brats and Festbier, grilled salmon and Witbier, fruit salad and Gose, Manchego and American Porter, or a bloomy triple crème cheese and Doppelbock. Pairing concepts work on these simple couples to create a lovely combination. They may not be exotic or sexy or impressive, but they hit the mark and make the experience better together than if they were alone.
 
This brings me to the pairing idea which brought about these rambling thoughts: Pork carnitas tacos with cilantro, lime, and salsa paired with Radiant’s We Rock (And Roll) Hazy IPA. I may have my opinions on Hazy Ales, but I can’t deny they are food-friendly hop-balanced beers. Why? Hazy Ales have very low bitterness (usually). This works often because of the concept of intensity and how taste interactions happen on the palate. Here’s what I understand about it.

Intensity
 
Intensity can be thought of as the overall impact a dish, food, or drink has on the palate. Imagine a dish on a scale that only measures aspects that impact its intensity. The more impactful qualities it has, the more “weight” the dish will have. For example, a rich 7-layer chocolate cake is more intense than an apple. Not just by size or actual weight, but because of all the factors that impact the “weight” or intensity of the cake. The same concept works for beer. A pale American Light Lager is less intense than a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.
 
Food Intensity Factors

For food, the factors contributing can be broken down into three categories: Inherent/General, Taste/Flavor, and Preparation.

• Inherent/General involves richness, fattiness, and other complexities the dish may have such as sauces.

• Taste/Flavor includes the five basic tastes (outlined later), heat or spice (capsaicin), cooling (mint), or other noticeable flavors.

• Preparation adds intensity depending on the methods used in the dish.
• Infusing: Adding flavor in a brine or marinade, spices, or dressings.
• Preserving: Adds intensity by drying, curing, fermenting/pickling, or by candying. 
• Cooking, as basic as it may seem, is the point where it all comes together and adds even more intensity to most dishes.
• Searing: Dish is prepared by braising, roasting, frying, grilling, broiling, or smoking. 
• Reducing: A form of cooking involves either a boil or a simmer.

Beer Intensity Factors

Intensity factors for beer are much the same with a focus on traits and processes found in beer.

• Inherent/General include ABV (alcohol by volume), body, carbonation levels, and factors that impact mouthfeel such as dryness or a warming sensation.

• Taste/Flavor also considers our five basic tastes but with a focus on which ingredient they arise from. Hop bitterness, malt sweetness, saltiness or minerality from added water salts, sour or acidity from fermentation, chocolate from dark malts, coffee or acrid flavors from roasted malts or grains, smoke from unique barley, fermentation flavors such as clove or banana, and other multifaceted elements in the beer.

• Brewing Process/Additions involve the boil length (think reducing with a very long boil), intentionally leaving unfermented sugars behind (Pastry Stouts), added ingredients that can contribute heat spice, fruits, candies, added umami (oysters), herbs, spices, the dry-hopping rate, wood aging, or distilling (Eisbock).

Once all the impact factors or “weight” are figured out on the dish, finding a beer that has the same intensity is not too difficult with some practice. Finding one that plays well with taste interactions is another story.

Taste Interactions
 
We have 5 basic tastes that happen on our tongue: sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and umami. They interact with each other differently, not just in the pairing, but within the dish or food itself. Caramel or chocolate with sea salt is a simple example of that. Think of chocolate chip cookies. Most recipes will call for some salt added. Salt enhances sweetness. The contrast between the two makes sweetness pop. That’s the interaction.

Salt Interactions

Ever put salt on some watermelon? It’s amazing! Yes, you taste the salt, but the sweetness of the watermelon is explosive. Salt in a beer will highlight salt in food, but caution must be taken since salt interacting with more salt tends to aggravate each other. Sweetness is increased by salt as indicated. Acidity is tamed by salt, but umami is increased. Bitterness is toned down by salt.
 
Umami Interactions

Umami works much like salt in some ways but also has its interplay. Sweetness, acidity, and bitterness are all elevated by umami. Acidity may become aggressive. Umami with umami also is compounded.
 
Sweet Interactions

Most of us love sweetness. We crave it and our need for carbohydrates stems from an evolutionary standpoint. It’s an energy source. Sweetness as a taste is interesting because it tends to calm when interacting with more sweetness. Acidity is increased by sweetness while salt is calmed (because sweetness is increased). Bitterness can get aggravated, but roast bitterness is not as touchy. Hence why we put sweet cream in our coffee.
 
Sour Interactions

Sour is an understandably off-putting taste for many. It’s sharp, acidic, tangy, and makes some of us angry. Hell, we have a facial expression named after it! But some, like me, love the feeling. The interaction with acidity in both the food and beer is interesting as acidity is calmed when interacting with a light acidity in the partnering food or beer, but can get compounded at high levels. Sweetness is increased by acidity, which is why sweet and sour foods and sauces work so well. Salt is toned down as the acidity and salt tend to calm each other. Bitterness and acidity interactions are perplexing. Depending on the source of bitterness, it can be calmed or aggravated. However, the interactions is generally unpleasant with high hop or roast bitterness.
 
Bitter Interactions

We finally arrive at bitterness, which also has a facial expression named after it, and is very unpleasant for many. Bitterness in beer and food compounds on each other; Bitterness on top of bitterness will be perceived as even more bitter. Salt diminishes bitterness. Although there is some perception that hop bitterness, usually when at high levels, will have adverse effects and hop bitterness will draw out the salt in a dish.
 
If it isn't clear by now, the previous interaction principles is why I think low-bitterness Hazy Ales are food-friendly beers.
 
Additional Important Concepts to Consider
 
The Three C’s:

The concept of the “Three C’s” refers to Cut, Contrast, and Complement. Some of these concepts may have been mentioned in passing above. A good pairing might only target one, a better pairing might accomplish two, but some wonderful pairings achieve all three.

• Cut: This can be referred to as Cleanse. Carbonation (The 4th C?), Bitterness, and/or Acidity can act as a cutting agent.

• Contrast: Opposites attract. Flavors contrast to create a pleasant or unique experience. Tension can be a form of contrast in a pairing (see below). I’ll use sweet and sour as an example here again.

• Complement: Bridging common flavors, affinity, or harmonizing. Two or more flavors in a dance or resonate. Think about the char on grilled meats (Millard reaction) and roasted or caramel malts.

Two more C’s:

Carbonation and Clash. 

• Carbonation is sometimes considered the 4th C as it can help cleanse the palate. It is more of a sensation and mouthfeel and provides textual contrast between bites.

• Clash is just what the term implies: two flavors or tastes that clash and cause some unpleasant interactions or sensations on the palate.

The Three T’s:

These include Temperature, Texture, and Tension.

• Temperature may seem simple as most food is warm, and beer is usually cold. But sometimes this can bring about a unique situation where the dish is cold, so you must keep temperature in mind on how this will affect the experience with a very cold beer. It is even more thought-provoking when the dish has multiple temperatures on the same dish. Cake and ice cream, anyone? Beer isn’t always ice cold, either. Sometimes, depending on style, it should be more on the cellar temperate range. On some occasions, serving warm beer may be the ticket.

• Texture of food is complex! Is it crumbly or creamy? Maybe it melts. Does it have a crunch? Is it a tough bite or does it crunch easily? Is it slimy? Thick or thin? Wet? Is it leafy? Or perhaps it is fatty and coating? Fattiness in a dish is friendly for beer pairing. It can alleviate many adverse interactions, especially with bitterness. Adding cream or fat (like cheese) to a dish can make for better pairings. For beer, it’s more about mouthfeel. Carbonation, body, alcohol warmth, or puckering sensations are instances of beer texture. Few foods have carbonation and that is a beneficial texture in beer as it has cutting capabilities. That’s an example of using contrast with beer texture in a pairing while also cutting through some fat.

• Tension is another contrasting point. It stands out but does not clash with other ingredients or flavors. Mint, cayenne, chili flakes, chili oil, or acid added to a sweet dish like tart cherry drizzle on some chocolate cake. Tension is achieved when the flavor is in the background yet is noticeable.

What the F...

Fat has been listed as an emerging taste in some texts or studies. While not conclusive (yet?), it can be understood that fattiness is a texture (as outlined above). It can be staining, coating, and contribute to the richness of a dish.

Typical Flavor Interactions

There are common flavor interactions that are well understood and are not too complicated to comprehend. Simple interactions between beer flavors and food are listed here.

• Hop Flavors and Bitterness
• Complement fruit, citrus, herb, and spice flavors.
• Bitterness can cut the effects of fat: cheese, heavy meats, or cream.
• Malt Flavors
• Harmonize with caramelized, Millard (browning), and toasted flavors.
• Malt sweetness can soothe the fiery effects of capsaicin heat.
• Roast flavors
• Complement chocolate, burnt, char, or caramelized flavors.
• Can cut fat, contrast sweetness, and increase umami.
• Fermentation Flavors
• Esters can harmonize with fruity flavors and with foods such as dairy.
• Phenolic flavors provide bridges with spices and contrast with fat and umami.
• Tartness can:
• Brighten up sweet foods such as fruit.
• Provide a sharp contrast to rich, fatty foods.
• See Texture above.
• Alcohol complements sweetness and cuts fat.
• High ABV beers with residual sweetness pair well with salty cheese.
• See Texture above.
• Carbonation
• See Texture above.

And Then…

• Third Flavor: 2+2=5. When two flavors combine to form a new one.

• Pitfalls: There’s a lot of them. For instance, oily fish and hop bitterness can taste metallic. Bitterness will accentuate capsaicin heat (unless one wants more fire!). Some phenolic flavors can become harsh depending on the food. With practice and experimentation, more will become apparent.

• Cheese (and other fun pairings): An entirely different discussion with the same pairing concepts.
• Focus on cheese fat content, texture, saltiness, bitterness, fermentation and/or cheese making process, umami, rind, and bridging flavors.

Bring It All Together
 
We can finally bring it all together and explain why this simple pairing works. Carnitas are prepared by slow cooking for a few hours in lard combined with fresh-squeezed oranges and limes (orange and lime peels thrown in, too!), pale macro lager, and a dash of salt. Bring water, lard, and salt to a boil, throw in the carnitas with lime juice, toss in the peels, and let the frying begin. Once browned, after stirring to prevent sticking, top off the evaporated moisture with fresh-squeezed orange juice and let those peels fall in, too. After the carnitas are almost done, top off with a can of American Lager to add a bit of complexity to the meat. Shredded and served on corn tortillas that are toasted over an open flame, topped with minced cilantro, lime, and some fresh hot sauce.
 
And now, as Vessel from Sleep Token would say, take a bite (if you know, you know). Carnitas are inherently salty. Any remnants of bitterness in the beer is toned down by the salt content while the saltiness contrasts the sweetness of the beer making the uncooked flour and flatbread malt notes pop. A high concentration of hop oil lends to pine needles, white strawberry, peach flesh, and pineapple chunks bridge with the orange zest and lime spritz flavors in the pork. Cilantro contrasted the citrus-heavy flavors in the meat while also contrasting the guava and lychee fruit character in the beer. Any bitterness that threatened perception was quickly contrasted by the fat in the carnitas, too. The char on the tortilla and salsa added a bit of tension while the carbonation provided the texture contrast to the fat and the prickly effervescence cuts by scrubbing the palate.

Next time, I might try this with an American Brown Ale and use a Hazy Ale to cook with instead of an American Lager. I wonder what that will taste like?

Sushi, anyone?

Beer and food pairing is a convoluted subject. Pairings can be simple while achieving all the intensity matching and flavor interactions we understand. But after writing over 2300 words on what should be a simple pairing, I can’t help but wonder, does my not being a foodie really make this a weakness?
 
Oh, well. I’m hungry now. What are we pairing with that sushi? I’ll bring the beer.

Cheers!

-Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

References

Alworth, J. (2015, 2021). The Beer Bible. Workman.

Amato, M. (2014). Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer… Even More. Appetite by Random House.

Amato, M. (2021) Mastering Beer & Food Pairing by Beerology. Course Completed on 12/2021. https://beerology.thinkific.com/courses/food-pairing

Herz, J., Conley, G. (2015). Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros. Voyageur Press.

McCalman, M., Gibbons, D. (2009). Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. Clarkson Potter.

Oliver, G. (2003). The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. HarperCollins.

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press.