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)

Jack Beer - Chocolate Imperial Stout

Jack Chocolate Imperial Stout

7.5% ABV

3 out of 5

This chocolate imperial stout is made by Cevercería Jack, which is based in Mexico City. I've had two different beers by this brewery (the other a brown ale) and their beers are definitely high quality, but the styles they produce are not my favorite types of beers to drink. This stout has a full body which one would hope to find in an imperial stout (but which is all too rare for most Mexican-made stouts). However, the chocolate flavor is a little overpowering, which for me means that I won't be drinking this beer all that often. Worth a try if you like chocolate in your beer, but I see this more as a novelty beer than something to drink regularly . Find more info about Jack Beer here, here, and here.

This beer is available for purchase at El Deposito in Colonia Condesa, Baja California 375. It cost 55 pesos to drink it at El Deposito, a fairly standard price for most cervezas artesanales. You can also buy bottles for takeout at a cheaper price.

How to get there: Metro/Metrobus Patriotismo.

Short list of bars and restaurants

Publimetro just put up an article on where to try cervezas artesanales in Mexico City (in Spanish). Some of these places I am familiar with, others I am not. Can't wait to check out some new spots!

I highly recommend La Nacional in Roma, where you can enjoy some bottled brews by Cucapá, as well as a large variety of other nationally made drinks like Mexican vodka (?). Zazá is also a great place. They only serve draft beers, primarily Tempus, Calavera, Cosaco and Azteca. However, since they only have beers on tap, and taps run out all the time here, it is really anyone's guess what they'll have available on any given day. They also make amazing pizzas at Zazá, so go hungry.

One comment on the article. At the beginning they state: "These national drinks are considered some of the best in the world for their aroma and variety." While Mexican microbrews need all the help they can get, this is a little over the top. Some of them are very good, some of them are very very bad. This industry is still in its infancy and they are bound to make a few missteps. Nevertheless, most of them are at least better than the beers produced by Modelo or Cuauhtémoc.

I'll reprint the list here (with the correct address for La Nacional, Publimetro got it wrong). I've divided up the places by colonia with the name of the place first, followed by the street address. I'm excited to check out the place in the Centro Histórico, since (in my somewhat limited experience) it is generally a wasteland for good food and drink.

Polanco:

Pujol, Petrarca 254

Jaso, Newton 88

Condesa:

Boca 21 Deli, Amsterdam 36-A

La Nacional, Querétaro esq. Orizaba

El Deposito, Av. Baja California 375

Makena, Tamaulipas 56.

Zazá, Pachuca 1 esq. Veracruz.

Centro Histórico:

Miralto, Madero 1, Piso 41 Torre Latinoamericana.

Roma:

Barraca Valenciana, Monterrey 220.

Coyoacán:

Centenario 107, Centenario 107.