Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Truth be told, this is a holiday where it seems like everyone just gets together and drinks tequila in my neck of the woods. However, there is definitely historical significance to the occasion, which you can read more about here, or the cliffs notes version: “Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Sunday, May 5 in 2019, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day.”
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I’ve picked out a couple Mexican lagers. One is a true import from Mexico in Cerveza Pacifico Clara, the other is a local Mexican-styled lager from City Lights Brewing in my hometown of Milwaukee. So we have an adjunct import up against a local craft beer that attempts to top the style of the import itself. An interesting setup to this one, if you ask me.
HopDuel Survey
| Better label | Cerveza Pacifico Clara |
| Better aroma | City Lights Mexican Lager |
| Better taste | Cerveza Pacifico Clara |
| Better finish | City Lights Mexican Lager |
| Winner | Cerveza Pacifico Clara |
Tell us about it
Truth be told, I’ve always been partial to Pacifico and that may have impacted the results here a bit. For awhile, this was a go-to summer beach beer of mine. There’s something about how well they mix the lime flavor with the lager brewing process. I’ve sampled a number of beers that try this same thing and fail miserably. I realize most craft beer fans mouth’s will drop at the results of this one, but just because it’s an adjunct doesn’t always mean it’s bad, and Pacifico reminds me of long days at the beach playing volleyball with friends.
To it’s credit, the City Lights Mexican Style Lager was also quite good. An appealing aroma of lemon and lime sits at the tip of your nose, helping take that category. It’s a refreshing lager that I’d recommend trying during your next taco night.
