With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, on-premise operators may want to round out their typical beer offerings with emerging products that blend the drinkability of imported Mexican brews with the handcrafted tradition and innovation of American craft beer. Indeed, Mexican-style lagers from craft brewers have more than tripled in number in the last three years, notes Zach Keeling, CEO of Sapporo-owned Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California and Richmond, Virginia. There’s consensus among marketers and retailers that the fledgling products can serve as a gateway for some consumers into craft beer.
Mexican-style lagers with a craft influence are benefitting from increasing consumer interest in select beer styles while the overall beer category is challenged. “It’s no secret that Modelo Especial is the shiny light these days,” says Dave Thibodeau, CEO of Colorado’s Ska Brewing, which markets Mexican Logger. “Craft brewers want to tap into the popularity of Mexican beers.” Then too, many craft brewers have begun producing lagers in recent years as consumers have started to back off from higher-alcohol styles like IPAs. “The proposition of a crisp, refreshing Mexican lager with a little bit more flavor and brewed by your hometown’s craft brewer appeals to many craft drinkers,” adds Steven Pauwels, co-CEO of Ohio’s Great Lakes Brewing, which markets the Mexican Lager with Lime brand.
Ska Brewing was likely the first craft brewer to produce a Mexican-style lager when it launched its seasonal interpretation in 1999. Thibodeau says it was a hit from the start and while only available for only a limited time, Mexican Logger long vied for the brewery’s top-selling beer. Last year, the label expanded to year-round availability and now it’s easily the brewery’s top seller.
Stone’s Buenaveza lager, meanwhile, launched about five years ago, and according to Keeling, it’s already emerged as the top nationally available craft Mexican-style lager. The brew is particularly popular on draft at Stone’s on-premise venues, notes senior vice president of marketing Erin Smith. It’s now the brewery’s No.-3 brand. “Buenaveza is one of our top priorities,” she says. “We know that beer consumers today want variety. Buenaveza rounds out our portfolio.”
Like Mexican Logger, 21st Amendment Brewery’s El Sully Mexican-style lager has been produced for years. Initially available on draft, El Sully was expanded to retail about ten years ago, but still performs best on tap, co-founder Shaun o’Sullivan notes, perhaps driven by distributor and retailer interest in offering an alternative to large Mexican brews. El Sully Lime was introduced a few years ago. Both labels are distributed year-round in 36 states.
Eastern breweries are also producing Mexican-style lagers. Mexican Lager with Lime was first released in a limited run in 2019, and the following year was expanded as a seasonal offering. Today, it’s available from April to August in all Great Lakes distribution markets in 6-packs, 12-packs, on draft, and as part of the brewery’s summer variety pack. “Adding lime directly to the brew was a forward-thinking decision that anticipated the trend of fruit-flavored beer that’s prominent in the current marketplace,” Pauwels says. The beer is particularly popular in the local northern Ohio market, he adds, which accounts for 50% of its overall business.
Beer retailers and on-premise operators say their customers are increasingly discovering Mexican-style lagers. In fact, at Star Liquors in Durango, Colorado, “Mexican Logger is one of our store’s best-selling items,” says beer manager Jason Wood. Priced at $17 a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans, the locally brewed product easily outsells other Mexican-style brews, he notes. At Chop Shop Taco in Alexandria, Virginia, meanwhile, Caboose Brewing’s Bienvenidos Mexican lager is the only beer featured on draft ($9 a 16-ounce pour). “We could easily offer the same beers as other taco restaurants, such as Modelo and Corona, but we like to have something special and unique,” notes general manager Mary MacRae. She adds that because the eatery strives to showcase craft products, the locally made brew is a perfect fit. “It’s the only Mexican-style lager that’s local to northern Virginia and available year-round,” she notes.
The growing popularity of Mexican-style lagers could pave the way for spinoffs and darker-style brews, Thibodeau believes. Craft brewer creativity, coupled with demand for Mexican beer, he says, “provides a nice runway and opportunity for all of us.”