Minerva Pale Ale

Minerva Pale Ale

6% ABV

3 out of 5

Minerva, based out of Zapopan, Jalisco, is one of the bigger microbreweries in Mexico. Or at least I think they are big since their beers are fairly easy to find in the D.F. supermarkets.

Minerva beers are always a little disappointing. In general, the style of beer labeled on the bottle rarely comes close to what is inside. And, they tend to leave me with the impression that I'm drinking a typical Mexican lager but with more flavor. Every one of their beers I have sampled has a weak body, almost like they made a good beer and then watered it down. Is this on purpose? Since most Mexicans have only ever had cerveza clara o oscura, Minerva has the chance to become popular since their beers are not too far away from what most beer consumers already know.

Is this beer really a pale ale? There is a good aroma of hops (East Kent Golding hops according to the label), but the taste is very mild and it finishes very flat. On the bottle it says 2010 Gold Winner, English Style Mild Ale. I think that is about right. Definitely very drinkable and a good session beer, but if I want a top quality Mexican pale ale I´m going to stick with Cucapá's Chupacabras.

This particular bottle was purchased at a Superama for 19 pesos. One of the cheapest Mexican microbrews you will find and not all that bad for the price. You can also pick up this beer at El Deposito in Condesa, and La Belga in Roma for a few more pesos per bottle.

Getting to El Deposito: Exit at Metro/Metrobus Patriotismo.

Getting to La Belga: Metrobus - Linea 1, Sonora; or Linea 3, Hospital General. Metro - Hospital General. (You'll need a map to figure out how to walk from these stops to La Belga)