Beer Styles

What exactly is a Mexican lager? It's a pale, bottom-fermented beer with low hop bitterness, a light body, and a delicate grain sweetness, sometimes with a hint of corn. The BJCP competition guidelines don't list it as its own style, instead classifying it under International Pale Lager. Tecate is a well-known example. So the term Mexican lager describes more of a brewing approach than a protected style.

Compared to a German pilsner, Mexican lager lacks sharp bitterness. It tastes softer, rounder, leaning more toward bread crust and grain than herbal notes. That's exactly what makes it such a great thirst-quencher in the heat, especially ice-cold straight from the can.

The second style is the West Coast IPA. Golden to copper in color, top-fermented, and heavily hopped, with aromas of grapefruit, pine, and resin. Its bitterness is crisp and dry, unlike the hazy, fruit-forward profile of a Hazy IPA. Wendlandt, Agua Mala, and many breweries in Tijuana have made it their flagship style.

Both styles capture the two souls of Baja. Lager belongs to the everyday life of the border city, while IPA represents the craft awakening of the past twenty years. How much alcohol does a Mexican lager contain? Usually between 4.5 and 6% ABV, as the style guidelines indicate. A West Coast IPA runs higher, at 5.5 to 7.5% ABV, and needs considerably more malt to support its hop bitterness. Beyond these, you'll find stouts, wheat beers, and beers brewed with Mexican ingredients like chili, cocoa, or agave syrup, though these don't form fixed styles of their own.