Ocozol Tripa

Ocozol Tripa (Belgian Trippel?)

????ABV

2 out of 5

I think this is supposed to be a Belgian Trippel, but it is unlike any Trippel I have ever had. There is the slight spiciness one expects from Belgian ales, but this beer is way too sweet. If you took a mediocre Belgian ale and poured a few packets of sugar in it, it would approximate this beer. Nevertheless, this is the most drinkable beer I have had from Ocozol and it is certainly not unpleasant. If they work on the recipe more they may end up with a solid Belgian Ale.


The Tripa is available on draft at Makena in a 10oz serving for 45 pesos, or a pint for 60 pesos.

Ocozol Porter Pimienta

Ocozol Porter with Black Pepper

????ABV

0 out of 5

The picture says most of what needs to be said about this beer. It looks like a porter, but is extremely sour. The pepper is definitely apparent and makes the sourness all the more unbearable. Three people could not even drink half of this beer.

I wish the best for Ocozol, and applaud them for trying to make some interesting beers, but they really need to work on their recipe and their process.

The Ocozol Porter is available at El Deposito and Makena.

El Deposito World Beer Store

 I can't believe it has taken me this long to write something about El Deposito, one of the most important beer bars/stores in Mexico City. At El Deposito you can find nearly all the Mexican craft brews, a large selection of imported beers, and a constantly rotating selection of imported and Mexican craft brews on tap. What is also nice is that all the beers you can buy here for takeout are also available to drink at the bar, in case you want to spend an evening out sampling a variety of beers.

There are a couple downsides to El Deposito, which means I don't go as often as I would like. First, they have a small, but largely terrible selection of food. They do have popcorn, which is what I usually get when I come here, but if you are hungry, go somewhere else first. Second, this place is very expensive. Draft beers usually run anywhere from 60-120 pesos, and some of the bottled beers have a pretty steep markup if you want to drink them at the bar. Even buying beer for takeout here is more expensive than at La Belga.

On the weekends, this place is usually packed, so it doesn't seem like the prices are driving enough people away, and they typically do have several beers on draft that you won't find anywhere else. On this particular visit where I took the pictures, they had draft beer from Tempus, Cosaco, Ocozol and Azteca. On previous trips they have also had beer by Fuller's and Calavera. In addition to beer, you can also pick up some glasses from local and international breweries if you are looking for a souvenir.

El Deposito is located at Baja California 375 in Condesa. The easiest way to get there is from the Metro/Metrobus stop Patriotismo.

Ocozol Azafrán

Ocozol Saffron Ale

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2 out of 5

A very light golden ale with a slight flavor of saffron at the beginning, which then disappears. In fact, besides the initial taste of saffron, this beer has almost no taste at all. Very bland. The idea of putting saffron in the beer is interesting and there is the potential that this beer could get better if the brewer works on the recipe more, but as it stands, this beer is disappointing.

I have only had one other beer by Ocozol, a porter made with black pepper. That beer was also pretty underwhelming.

This 10oz glass of saffron ale was purchased at Makena for 45 pesos.

Makena Pub

 Makena is a great little pub located in the heart of Condesa. They carry several different craft beers on tap, plus a decent selection of bottled beers. They also have a full bar if your friends don't like beer, plus a small selection of appetizers if you get hungry.

There are two floors to this small place. The upstairs is small and isolated, just a small set of tables. Downstairs is where the bar is, with a small tv, several tables, and a few couches if you feel like lounging. When I was there it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere, but I can imagine that at night on the weekends it gets very packed very quickly. I wish the music here was better, at least it wasn't too loud and I could drown it out. They had MTV videos on the television on mute, while playing some mediocre rock and dance music in the background.

On tap, you can get beers here by Ocozol, Azteca, Cosaco, and Tempus. The Ocozol beers are brewed by the owner of the pub, and as far as I know, are only available here at Makena and at El Deposito. On this particular visit, they had on tap the Ocozol Azafrán (Saffron Ale), the Azteca IPA, the Azteca Manzana Ale, the blond, red and porter by Cosaco (stay away from these beers!), and I think just the Tempus clásica (which is not very good). For bottles, besides the standard selection of commercial Mexican beers, they had various styles of beer from Calavera, Tempus, Toro, and some imported German beers.

The prices were fairly typical, you can order the beer on tap in a caña (about 10oz) for 45 pesos, or in a pint for 60 pesos. The one bottle of Toro I had was 55 pesos.

Makena is located at Tamaulipas 56 in Condesa. It is equidistant from the Metro stops Juanacatlan, Patriotismo, and Chilpancingo, so look at the map and figure out from where you want to walk. It is also fairly close to the Campeche metrobus stop on Linea 1. If you exit there, walk north on Insurgentes one block, turn right on Michoacan, follow Michoacan through Parque México, then turn right on Tamaulipas.