New Brew Tuesday: The Battle of the Modelos
Posted on 04 May 2010 by Cornelius Aesop
I like this Mexican (although more celebrated in the US than Mexico) holiday. It isn’t even their independence day, but merely a battle victory; Yet they party all out on this day. I think the US should take to this style of celebration. We should have a day of celebration to commemorate every battle won and maybe even those that we lost with parades, grilling out and lots of beer of course. This is not for my own selfish reasons. I mean, think of the poor workers at the brewery. We can help save their job! And what about the local grocery store where you will buy your hamburgers and hot dogs. Don’t you want to help them out too? This is for our country – our fellow Americans (and if you aren’t American same goes for you and your country men/women) don’t be selfish.
OK, whew breath monkey breath…
Back to the point, and yes I’m sure you are thinking Cinco de Mayo why not choose Corona. Well my furless friend, it is for the same reason I didn’t pick Guinness for my St. Patty’s Day NBT. Although, I didn’t venture far off because the makers of Corona, Grupo Modelo, also happen to make these two popular Mexican beers. I purchased a 6 pack of each costing $8.47 each so that I had fully completed some extensive research on this comparison, I take my research serious like any great scholar. Hmm Dr. Aesop research beerologist, I like the sound of that.
A notable aspect of these beers is the gold foil wrapping on the bottle neck which if not cleared off completely will end up mixed in your drink. This reminded me of a favorite Brazilian beer of mine, Itaipava, which always had a loose fitted foil wrap over the mouth of the can but those came off easily while the Modelo foil was stuck on there good.
| Type: Beer – Munich style Vienna Name: Negra Modelo Made: Mexico Alc/Vol: ?%I’m always a little more partial to the darker beers so this was an easy win over Especial, but it wasn’t by much. As for dark beer goes it didn’t win me over with a full bodied taste as it was light in flavor. There was a bit of a chocolaty mocha flavor in the taste but mild overall, I wish I had a lime to try it with because I wonder how it would pair with the beer. I am not to sure how many other darker Mexican beers are out there, but this is my only encounter with any so it is hard to compare it to something else. This beer would probably go good with a spicy Mexican meal as it’s sweet light flavor wouldn’t contrast with the food. I couldn’t tell you why but I wrote down in my notes that it would likely pair well with asparagus. Overall I give this beer 2 1/2 out of 5 bananas, I like it a little bit better than the Especial but it didn’t win me over in flavor.
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Type: Beer – American Adjunct Lager Name: Modelo Especial Made: Mexico Alc/Vol: ?%This beer comes in a clear bottle just like Corona, which for any beer experts know that this affects the taste. Sun is bad for beer, I don’t know the science of it, I’m a monkey not a scientist dammit, I do know one thing – it makes it taste bad. It gives a quality beer a cheap or also described as ‘skunky’ taste which would match the initial smell. It’s not a bad smell but strong and resembles that of a Corona which get’s me to wondering what is the difference between the two. Why am I sharing this, because that was my initial reaction to this beer, it had that taste that gave you an Edward Robinson stogie in the mouth, “Yeah See” kind of face. This is probably not what you want to hear but it get’s better. No seriously, after a few sips it becomes an acquired taste and the beer goes down smoother. I can see myself eating tacos and enjoying this beer with some chips and salsa, would I choose it over a Corona – I’m not sure maybe because this feels a little more ‘Mexican-ish’ than Corona but neither give a great taste. I’ll give this beer 2 out of 5 bananas after the first few sips it starts to go down smoother and is an easy pairing with any Mexican dish.
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What is your take on these two beers, did I insult your Cinco de Mayo favorite or did both of these beers leave the same dare to be average taste that I experienced. Leave a comment and let me know.
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Tags | alcohol, American Adjunct Lager, Beer, cerveza, Cinco de Mayo, Drinking, Grupo Modelo, Lager, Mexican, mexican beer, model, modelo especial, Munich, NBT, negra modelo, New Brew Tues, New Brew Tuesday, Vienna
