What are Mexican lagers? Some say their entire reason for existence is to lull the drinker into an 18-minute vacation. Others claim they were invented to soothe a grass-torn throat after mowing the lawn. Or, maybe even to serve as a crisp contradiction to the 10,000 Taco Tuesdays in Tacoma. It’s still common belief that Mexican-style lagers are simply Vienna-style lagers based on the preferences of early German expats in Mexico. But based on contemporary Mexican lagers, they vary widely in flavor, style, and appearance, and, therefore, so do the American-made Mexican-style lagers that pay homage to them. Because the Brewer’s Association doesn’t even classify Mexican-style lagers as their own category, American craft brewer are set on making their Mexican-style lager unique, with plenty of ideas to help you party with their smooth, crisp cervezas. Peaks and Pints presents an in-house flight of Mexican-style lagers — a flight we call Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Mexican Lager.
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Mexican Lager
54-40 Buenos Noches Sol
4.3% ABV, draft
Originating from Europe, dark lagers can vary quite a bit in strength and profile. In Germany, they go by a few different guises, like dunkel, bock or schwarzbier. In Spain and Mexico, they are known as negras. One thing that all dark lagers share is that they are deceptively drinkable. They tend of be a little lower in alcohol and unlike other dark beers, the use of lager yeast creates a bright and vibrant finish, which delivers instant refreshment when served icy cold. 54-40 Brewing’s dark larger Buenos Noches Sol follows suit with notes of raisins and graham cracker.
Kulshan Especial
4.5% ABV, can
Kulshan Brewing added their Especial, Mexican-style Pale Lager to their year-round offerings. It’s crushable lager with crisp malt notes that makes for a refreshing summer beverage, especially when paired with a lime wedge. Our team has been hard at work on this project for months, and we’re thrilled to release it into the world today! Our neighbors to the South in Mexico have been brewing pale lagers like Especial for nearly 150 years, and we’re so stoked to be able to offer this Bellingham-brewed take on the style,” says Wesley Finger, Kulshan head brewer.
UNSUNG Lumino
4.8% ABV, can
Ohio native and UNSUNG Brewing founder Mike Crea — who is certified by the Cicerone Program and earned a diploma in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute in Chicago — brews small batches of craft beer in Tustin, California, but sells a majority of them up north from a modernized century old marmalade factory in Anaheim, the sudsiest town in Orange County. Founded in 2015, comic book fan Crea drinks West Coast IPAs while watching superhero movies, but he and the crew brews all styles, including Mexican lagers. Lumino is a classic Mexican style lager brewed with Pilsner malt and corn for smooth cracker taste and a touch of sweetness.
Lumberbeard Taco Vibes
4.8% ABV, can
Bret Gordon left the University of Colorado with a degree in Economics and a passion for craft beer. He continued into the finance world, probably sipping an Avery Brewing beer here and there. It didn’t take long for him to realize that being at a desk was not for him and he wanted to become a professional brewer. That passion led him and his family to California where he went back to school to earn a Professional Brewing Certificate at the University of San Diego. He swore he would never go back to school, but beer will make you do some crazy things. From there, Gordon worked as a professional brewer for several years at SoCal breweries, including The Bruery. In 2018, Gordon and his family traveled north to Spokane and opened Lumberbeard Brewing, a 20-barrel brewhouse on the east end of downtown. His amber colored Vienna lager Tacoma Vibes is flavorful and easy to drink — reminiscent of a favorite beer to pair with tacos or chips and salsa.
Ex Novo The Most Interesting Lager in the World
5% ABV, can
If this beer were to pat you on the back, you would list it on your resume. Mosquitos refuse to bite this beer purely out of respect. If opportunity knocks, and this beer is not home, opportunity waits. It’s The Most Interesting Lager in the World, a crisp, refreshing, and interesting Mexican Lager brewed with Vienna and Pilsner malts with a hint of flaked corn. Also, cheers to Ex Novo Brewing founder Joel Gregory and his philanthropic efforts to make the world a better place. He uses Ex Novo as a platform for good in the Portland community and across the globe raising thousands and thousands of dollars for charities.
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