Subscribe Feed (RSS)Negra Modelo
July 8th, 2008 by Aaron Goldfarb | Filed under Brewer: Grupo Modelo, Country: Mexico, Grade: B plus, Style: Lager.
5.4% ABV
While most folks celebrated America’s birthday with cheap U.S. macro beer, I opted to indulge myself in Mexican brews and a Honduran cigar.
As far as I can tell, Negra Modelo is Mexico’s finest beer. That’s kind of sad I guess, but in a country whose most popular brew is the despicable Corona, we’re not exactly dealing with a standard bell curve that culminates with rare A pluses on the short tail to the far right. Surprisingly enough, the Grupo Modelo brewery that makes Corona also happens to make Negra. Quite a stark difference between the two.
Negra is what I order–save sometimes an occasional margarita–when dining Mexican. And, along with Tecate, it’s probably the only Mexican beer I will purchase for home usage. Inexplicably, this most recent time I drank Negra, I was served the foil-rimmed bottle with a lime corked into it. Why the fuck do Mexicans think every single drink needs a lime in it? This is a dark, rich Vienna-style lager. It’s almost stoutish with its toastiness and hints of coffee and caramel. Can you think of a less appropriate fruit to throw into that kind of beer than a goddamn lime?! Perhaps a cherry tomato or a pear or a peach? Just give the beer fruitless please.
Negra is a very, nice and flavorful (and incredibly drinkable) dark beer from a culture that typical doesn’t give us anything close to that. It would be a solid beer in any country and any culture though. Recommended.
Hey, and if any one can recommend a better Mexican beer–and, no, I don’t want to hear about Pacifica or Dos Equis–then I am all ears. Please comment below.
B+
Indio is the second best Mexican beer, next to Negra Modelo. Very malty, mild sweetness, no hints of skunk or corn any other crap. Has the right amount of hops (close to none, but you know you’re drinking a beer) at the end.
Beeradvocate lists it as an Oktoberfest, and I’d agree. The only bad thing about it? For some reason it’s not distributed in the USA. But if you come down to Mexico, you’ll find it at cheap shit cantinas, upscale restaurants, and sleazy whorehouses!
Good stuff. I’ll search it out. I love Oktoberfest styles so I’m intrigued by a Mexi-Octo beer. Thanks.