Water & Soil

Where does the water for beer in Monterrey come from? The city lies in a semi-arid zone. The Río Santa Catarina, which runs through the city, usually carries little water and only swells after heavy rains. Supply therefore depends on reservoirs in the surrounding area, such as the Presa El Cuchillo.

The Sierra Madre Oriental consists largely of limestone. Limestone dissolves in rainwater, and such water tends to be hard, that is, rich in dissolved minerals. For a pale lager, that would normally be unfavorable, since the soft water of Pilsen is considered essential for the pale, hop-forward Pilsner style.

Still, no brewer needs to worry about it. Large breweries treat their water: they soften it, filter out minerals, and add salts as needed. The idea that water alone shapes a style held true for Pilsen or Burton in the 19th century. In Monterrey, it's a matter of technology.

Natural cellars that keep a cask cool year-round offer little help against this heat. That's why the brewery began as an ice factory. Cold here comes from machines, and it shapes the beer more than any spring ever could.

Across the entire state of Nuevo León, water is a scarce resource. How scarce it can get was shown in drought years like 2022, when the region's reservoirs ran very low. The other extreme came in early July 2010, when Hurricane Alex turned the otherwise nearly dry river into a raging torrent. Water is never a given in Monterrey, and that shapes how industry handles it too.