Jon Walker wrote: Then you are heading to hell.
A perfect summary of the first 41 days of my “sentence” down here! I was literally brought to tears when my spouse flew down carrying Bell’s Two Hearted, Ten Bitter Years and Southern Tier. Best birthday present ever! However on day 46 we discovered the first hints of an artisanal beer scene, and on day 48 found the mother lode. Unfortunately it’s located over an hour away, but worth the drive!
First, the misery: the omnipresent macro-lagers with their corn stench. Is it still an “adjunct” if barley doesn’t enter the equation?! Tried as many as I could just to see if I could find a hop anywhere, and a couple of them are pretty quaffable after a 14 hour day - but the majority are just horrid.
Sampled (and listed in order from least to most offensive):
Grupo Modelo: Victoria - Negra Modelo - Léon - Modelo Especial - Corona - Montejo - Pacifico.
Cerveceria Moctezuma: Bohemia – Indio - Dos Equis Ambar - Dos Equis - Sol - Tecate.
And then the “eureka” of a brewery outside the 97% “big two” market: Minerva. Found in Irapuato at the unassuming “Wings Army” with a surprisingly diverse beer list, although unfortunately similar to Monty Python’s cheese shop as far as what was actually available. They did however have a Minerva Viena and Minerva Colonial – and luckily got a chance to try them both before they ran out (after two bottles). Stunning to taste malted barley once again!
http://www.wingsarmy.com.mx/
Didn’t work that Sunday and we took a road trip to a beautiful historic town called Queretaro. Stayed in the Old Town beside a magnificent Irish pub : the Wicklow.
http://www.wicklow.com.mx/ They actually carried stock of the listed beers, and it was here the delight of Cucapa was found : A hop!? In Mexico!!!
Learned from the bartender where he purchased this liquid gold and spent a fortune at that fine establishment ( with a lousy web site =
http://www.beerbank.com.mx/ ) the next day.
Again in order of best to worst, both in brewery & beer, the non-macros tried :
Cucapa : Runaway (DIPA), Chupacabras (APA), Clasica (session ale), Obscura, Honey =
http://www.cucapa.com/
Minerva : Stout Imperial (excellent), Viena, Colonial (session ale), Pale Ale =
http://www.cerveceriaminerva.com/
Cerveceria Tijuana (TJ) : Bufadora, Morena, Guera =
http://www.tjbeer.com/inicio.html
Cerveceria Mexicana : Mexicali Special Dark Beer, Red Pig Ale =
http://mexicalibeer.com/
Cerveceria Regional : Cerveza Queretaro (dark ale) =
http://cervezaqueretaro.com/cervezaqueretaro/
Primus : Tempus Clasica (alt) =
http://www.primus.com.mx/
Turns out there is a craft / artisanal beer culture starting in Mexico, but it’s about as far behind Canada as we are behind the States. And as Canada’s gaining ground, I have to hope Mexico is accelerating as well. Definitely not "in the area" or readily available, having since contacted each brewery to confirm that there's no closer place to purchase their products. But for anyone else stuck down here, an hour’s travel is a worthy sacrifice!
A less biased overview can be found at :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Mexico
As for me, 121 hours to go until I have a Smash Bomb or Curmudgeon or Crazy Canuck in my hand
Can't wait!!