In recent years, Mexican lagers have seen enormous growth worldwide, and the trend shows no sign of stopping. Crisp and refreshing, the best Mexican beers also pair well with flame-grilled meats, spicy street food, and seafood dishes.
Although the history of brewing in Mexico goes back to pre-Aztec days, the arrival of German and Austrian immigrants in the 1800s supercharged Mexico’s beer-brewing industry and introduced the classic lagers and dark beers.
Mexico has since become a powerhouse in beer production with seemingly endless Mexican beer options. We deep-dive to find the most refreshing Mexican beers for your chilled events or sunny BBQ.
Table Of Contents
- Best Mexican Beers
- 1. Sol Cerveza
- 2. Estrella Jalisco Original
- 3. Modelo Especial
- 4. Victoria Mexican Beer
- 5. Dos Equis Lager
- 6. Corona Extra
- 7. Pacifico Clara Cerveza
- 8. Bohemia Pilsner
- Andrew’s Top Pick
- Corona Extra
- What’s The Most Popular Beer In Mexico?
- What’s The Most Popular Pilsner In Mexico?
- What Is The Most Popular Dark Beer In Mexico?
- What’s The Strongest Mexican Beer?
- What’s The Strongest Mexican Lager?
- Conclusion
- Further Reading
Best Mexican Beers
I’ve selected 8 of the best Mexican beers, concentrating on their light and flavoursome crisp lagers, several of which are pilsners.
1. Sol Cerveza
Overview
- Brewery: Moctezuma Brewery
- ABV: 4.5% (9 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Pale Gold
Review
Sol Cerveza was born near Mexico City in 1899 (source). A ray of sunlight illuminated the first bottling of an experimental recipe, highlighting its golden colour and prompting the German brewmaster to name it after the sun.
The brewery soon moved to Orizaba, and the beer became widely popular throughout Mexico. Sol now exports it to over 70 countries.
Sol makes their beer, a classic Mexican lager, from malted barley with hop extract for bitterness. Glucose syrup adds the distinctive sweet edge typical of Mexican lagers.
Taste Notes
A light-bodied and well-balanced beer, Sol Cerveza is crisp and slightly sweet, with aromas and flavours of ripe orchard fruits and toasted malt. Smooth on the finish.
Best Served
Serve chilled and drink from the bottle with a wedge of lime pressed into the neck. Sol Cerveza pairs well with seafood and gently spiced chicken dishes. It’s similar to some of the crisper beers that pair with Indian food I recently reviewed.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
2. Estrella Jalisco Original
Overview
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- ABV: 4.5% (9 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Pale Gold
Review
While the Mexican state of Jalisco is better known for tequila, it is also the birthplace of this exceptional beer. Guadalajara-based Estrella Jalisco has brewed its Original since 1910.
Estrella Jalisco Original is a premium pilsner brewed in a style pioneered in Pilsen, Czechia. It is made from pale barley malt and bottom-fermenting yeast to produce a crisp, refreshing beer.
Taste Notes
A light-bodied and well-balanced beer with high carbonation. Reveals crisp apple, citruses and grain mid-palate, leading to a mainly dry finish.
Best Served
Estrella Jalisco Original is best-served ice cold with a slice of your favourite citrus fruit. Pairs well with any seafood dish, especially paella or mussels.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
3. Modelo Especial
Overview
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- ABV: 4.5% (9 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Light Gold
Review
Modelofirst brewed this beer at their Tacuba, Mexico City brewery in 1925, and a popular beer in its native Mexico. Modelo introduced Especial to the American market in 1990, which is now the fastest-growing beer in the US.
You can easily recognize it by its classic stubby bottle and gold foil. Modelo Especial is a pilsner-style lager brewed with malted barley, non-malted corn, and Saaz hops.
Taste Notes
This beer shows the aromas of hops and pale malt with orange blossom and a hint of barley. A light, medium-bodied beer with a light hoppiness with a crisp finish, a bit like an Italian beer.
Best Served
Enjoy Modelo Especial chilled in a frosted glass. This beer pairs well with spicy Mexican food such as fajitas and burritos.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
4. Victoria Mexican Beer
Overview
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- ABV: 4% (8 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Amber
Review
Agustin Marendaz started brewing this beer in 1865 in Toluca, and it has been going ever since. By 1890 the company was already a leading manufacturer and exporter of beer, and in 1935, Modelo acquired it. SoonVictoriawas the only beer left of the original line-up, a testament to its popularity.
Victoria is a Vienna-style lager brewed with toasted barley malt that gives a slight sweetness, non-malted corn, and hops for bitterness. Produces a mildly frothy aromatic head.
Taste Notes
Smooth and light-bodied, Victoria is balanced, with more peppery hop bitterness than most Mexican beers. The sweetness from the malt and flavours of caramel and sweet apple add lift. Carbonation is crisp and light, and the finish is dry.
Best Served
Enjoy Victoria beer chilled with a shot of tequila or mezcal. Pairs well with peppered steak and most seafood dishes.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
5. Dos Equis Lager
Overview
- Brewery: Moctezuma Brewery
- ABV: 4.2% (8.4 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Light Gold
Review
A German brewmaster set up theMoctezuma brewery in Veracruz in 1884and created this beer in 1897. He named it Siglo XX, where Siglo is Spanish for the century, and XX is Roman numerals for 20, after the dawning 20th century.
However, Mexican beer drinkers nicknamed it “Dos Equis” or “2 Xs”. This beer has become well-known through ads focusing on “The Most Interesting Man in the World.”
Dos Equis is a pilsner-style lager made from malted barley with the addition of corn starch or corn syrup and light Saaz hops. It’s moderately carbonated so as not to overpower with bubbles.
Taste Notes
Balanced and flavourful, Dos Equis has subtle and sweet malt notes, earthy tones and a touch of mild spice. A slight hoppiness leads to a clean finish.
Best Served
Dos Equis is best served chilled and sipped from a frosted glass. Try with a shot of Cachaça on the side. Pairs well with most meat and fish dishes and street food; especially good with a gourmand burger.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
6. Corona Extra
Overview
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- ABV: 4.6% (9.2 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Light Gold
Review
Corona Extra has beenbrewed in Mexico City since 1925, becoming one of the biggest-selling beers in Mexico. A pilsner, Corona Extra is brewed from malted barley and corn, with only a slight touch of hops.
This beer quickly became a favourite with American tourists, and in 1979 it was introduced to the American market. This beer is the quintessential taste of summer, beaches, and BBQ.
Taste Notes
Corona is a refreshing and crisp beer that offers citrus and honeyed malt aromas that continue on the palate, with slight floral hops and subtle skunking.
Best Served
Traditionally served chilled and drunk straight from the bottle with a wedge of lime pushed into the neck. Pairs well with aged tequila and most BBQ food, such as sausages, burgers, steaks, and chargrilled veg.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
7. Pacifico Clara Cerveza
Overview
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- ABV: 4.5% (9 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Pale Gold
Review
In 1900, 3 German brewmasters set up shop in the resort town of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, and began producing pilsner.
The beer soon became famous in Sinaloa and Baja. In the 1970s, American surfers travelling to Baja brought back a taste for Pacifico beer. It has been a West Coast favourite ever since (source).
Pacifico Clara Cerveza is a crushable pilsner made with malts roasted in a distinctive process from two-row and six-row barley and touched with light Saaz hops.
Taste Notes
Pacifico has light perfumed grassy aromas and citrus spicy hop notes with the mild bitterness of barley and light carbonation leading to a tart finish.
Best Served
Enjoy Pacifico Clara Cerveza chilled, at the end of the day, watching the sunset with friends. This beer makes an exceptional accompaniment to all kinds of seafood or beach BBQ nibbles.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
8. Bohemia Pilsner
Overview
- Distiller: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma
- ABV: 4.9% (9.8 Proof)
- Country: Mexico
- Colour: Amber
Review
Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Breweryhas produced this fine pilsner since 1905, named after the Czech region of Bohemia, where pilsner originated.
However, this Mexican beer is a German-style pilsner with a lighter body, paler colour, and more pronounced hop bitterness than a Czech-style pilsner.
Bohemia Pilsner is a pale pilsner made with malted barley and Styrian hops sourced from Czechia.
Taste Notes
Bohemia is a complex pilsner that is crisp and dry with grassy, floral, and vanilla biscuit notes, a light body, and assertive hop bitterness.
Best Served
Bohemia Pilsner is best enjoyed chilled, perhaps side by side with a shot of tequila. Pair with any spicy or salty food.
Pricing & Info
You can check the latest pricing, product information, and order online.
Andrew’s Top Pick
Corona Extra
My top pick is Corona Extra because it’s everything a Mexican beer should be; refreshing, clean, crisp, slightly zesty, and perfectly carbonated. Works well with all sorts of seafood, steaks and BBQ food.
Mexican Beer Q&A
What’s The Most Popular Beer In Mexico?
According to ANInBev, the most popular beer in Mexico is Corona. It is also the most popular Mexican beer worldwide and the 6th most valuable beer brand globally (source).
What’s The Most Popular Pilsner In Mexico?
The most popular Pilsner in Mexico is Modelo Especial, a pilsner bottled with a distinctive wide bottle and gold foil over the cap.
What Is The Most Popular Dark Beer In Mexico?
Grupo Modelo also brews Modelo Negra, a sweetish, Munich-styledunkelbeer that is one of the best-selling dark beers in Mexico. Mexican beer drinkers generally favour beers with low bitterness and high clarity.
What’s The Strongest Mexican Beer?
The strongest beer in Mexico is Modelo Negra, at 5.4% ABV. This dark beer features toasty black malts, Galena hops, and a medium body. It is relatively sweet and is officially considered a bittersweet beer. It makes a great beer to relax with, but not one for everyday drinking, for which Mexicans favour their lagers.
What’s The Strongest Mexican Lager?
The strongest lager brewed in Mexico is Bohemia Pilsner, at 4.9% ABV alcohol by volume, with Corona Extra coming in second at 4.6% ABV. Most lagers in Mexico come in at slightly over 4.0% ABV.
Conclusion
The best Mexican beers offer an exciting world of crushable lagers with varied flavour profiles that we are sure you will enjoy. While Corona Extra is a great beer, there is more to Mexican beer than just one brand.
Sipping your way through all the beers on this list will give you an appreciation of the excellence of Mexican beer.
Further Reading
Below are some additional articles from The Drinks Geek blog. We write articles on several fascinating areas of drinks, including different brands, drink types, cocktail recipes and more.
We provide a worldwide drinks review service to assist our readers from every country make informed drinks purchasing decisions for events, parties, gifts, or simply enjoying at home.
Our primary audience is from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Europe, although we have readers from as far away as Mauritius!