Learn & Discover
Learn & Discover
Mexican Lager: A History of Colonialism, Adaption, Appropriation and Ascendence
What springs to mind when you think of a Mexican lager? Sinking your toes into gorgeous smooth white sand as you recline on a beach in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta with a Dos Equis or Pacifico? Stuffing a lime down the neck of a Corona or Sol in a student bar? Or sipping a Modelo or Victoria over plates of sizzling fajitas? In the UK, Mexican lagers might lack the enormous popularity and ubiquity they enjoy Stateside but it’s likely that most beer drinkers will have encountered them sufficiently to have their own idea of what to expect when ordering one.
Illustrations by Christine Jopling
Ruvani de Silva
A travel-loving beer writer,with a host of bylines, Ruvani blogs about beer in Central Texas and beyond, as Craft Beer Amethyst. A vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in beer. As a British South Asian woman living in Texas, Ruvani brings a unique voice to the world of craft beer.
Mexican Lager: A History of Colonialism, Adaption, Appropriation and Ascendence
What springs to mind when you think of a Mexican lager? Sinking your toes into gorgeous smooth white sand as you recline on a beach in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta with a Dos Equis or Pacifico? Stuffing a lime down the neck of a Corona or Sol in a student bar? Or sipping a Modelo or Victoria over plates of sizzling fajitas? In the UK, Mexican lagers might lack the enormous popularity and ubiquity they enjoy Stateside but it’s likely that most beer drinkers will have encountered them sufficiently to have their own idea of what to expect when ordering one.
Ruvani De Silva
A travel-loving beer writer,with a host of bylines, Ruvani blogs about beer in Central Texas and beyond, as Craft Beer Amethyst. A vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in beer. As a British South Asian woman living in Texas, Ruvani brings a unique voice to the world of craft beer.
Around the world…
… the majority of beer drinkers will have their first experience of Mexican lager from a macro brand – most likely one of those listed above, although there are many other incarnations. What they might not know is that most of these brands are owned by just two of the major international beer conglomerates: AB Inbev, who own all Corona, Modelo, Pacifico and Victoria beers (distributed in the US by Constellation Brands), and Heineken, who own Dos Equis, Tecate, Sol, Indio, Bohemia and Kloster. What they also might not know is that the history of commercial Mexican lager as we know it, or just lager if you are from or in Mexico, was dominated by a small number of large brands who shaped the way the lager is perceived internationally to this day, whose roots are a mix of colonial invasion and myth-making and local adaptation and innovation.
Around the world, the majority of beer drinkers will have their first experience of Mexican lager from a macro brand – most likely one of those listed above, although there are many other incarnations. What they might not know is that most of these brands are owned by just two of the major international beer conglomerates: AB Inbev, who own all Corona, Modelo, Pacifico and Victoria beers (distributed in the US by Constellation Brands), and Heineken, who own Dos Equis, Tecate, Sol, Indio, Bohemia and Kloster. What they also might not know is that the history of commercial Mexican lager as we know it, or just lager if you are from or in Mexico, was dominated by a small number of large brands who shaped the way the lager is perceived internationally to this day, whose roots are a mix of colonial invasion and myth-making and local adaptation and innovation.
“The history of Mexican lager is as disputed as its definition: a source of conflicting information, differing cultural perceptions and a lack of documentation and consistency.“
— Ruvani de Silva
“After just a year of formation the CIU had helped 13 clubs to begin, growing to 55 by its second.”
— Rachel Hendry
The history of Mexican lager is as disputed as its definition: a source of conflicting information, differing cultural perceptions and a lack of documentation and consistency. Whether you are delving into the contested and oft-misinformed origins of Mexican lager (or lager in Mexico, if you will) or debating contemporary classification of a style that is currently not a style (and many people believe should remain so), this is one of the most gnarly beer categorisations a brewer or drinker may encounter, and is still so open to interpretation, personal preference and experience that there are very few right or wrong answers. There are a few of both though, and also the extremely important contextual issue of cultural appropriation and how to brew, brand and market a Mexican lager in a way that is respectful and collaborative rather than insensitive and offensive, although of course there are differences of opinion on this subject too.
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The history of Mexican lager is as disputed as its definition: a source of conflicting information, differing cultural perceptions and a lack of documentation and consistency. Whether you are delving into the contested and oft-misinformed origins of Mexican lager (or lager in Mexico, if you will) or debating contemporary classification of a style that is currently not a style (and many people believe should remain so), this is one of the most gnarly beer categorisations a brewer or drinker may encounter, and is still so open to interpretation, personal preference and experience that there are very few right or wrong answers. There are a few of both though, and also the extremely important contextual issue of cultural appropriation and how to brew, brand and market a Mexican lager in a way that is respectful and collaborative rather than insensitive and offensive, although of course there are differences of opinion on this subject too.
There is some irony in the American craft beer industry’s current love affair with making Mexican lagers, whose historic and contemporary identities are so tightly bound with the same macro brands the industry set out to overturn. That a style that was once the butt of hop-head’s jokes is now on everyone’s taplist and picks up serious silverware at the Great American Beer Festival. The growing appreciation for and understanding of lager more generally as well as an interest in beer history and heritage among both brewers and drinkers have helped this occur, while the steady expansion and dominance of macro Mexican lagers in the US beer market offers craft breweries a financial imperative to make their own equivalent. Modelo Especial is now the biggest selling beer in the US, knocking Bud Light off the top spot and cementing the huge popularity of a beer whose drinkability and accessibility make it appealing to a wide audience.
