There are really only two choices when it comes to Mexican beer styles – light lager and amber lager.

You know that most famous of the light lagers – Corona. There are a few others and they all taste about the same. There’s not a lot to say beyond that.

The amber lagers are a little bit more interesting. For a while there in the mid/late twentieth century beers like Negro Modelo and Dos Equis Amber were among a very few examples of an otherwise dead beer style known as Vienna Lager. The craft beer renaissance has reversed that but these Mexican amber lagers deserve our respect. With a fizzy profile and sweet flavor, these ambers are popular in texmex restaurants as they pair very will with the spicy, greasy food.

Lemons and Limes

If you have ever ordered a Mexican beer in a bar or restaurant, chances are it arrived with a wedge of citrus. For this reason, I have a theory that most fans of Corona and other Mexican lagers don’t actually know what they taste like. Without the fruit, the light lagers taste about the same as other light lagers from the rest of the world. That blast of citrus really adds a nice flavor to the otherwise bland beer. I say if this is the style you want to drink, go right ahead and add the fruit. At least you’ll have something to taste.

A recent trend among the big beer brewers like Miller and Anheuser-Busch Inbev has been to produce what I call pre-limed beers. They are packaged in clear bottles, clearly inspired by Coronna’s iconic glass bottle. These beers also come with a bit of salt added to the mix. Strange concoctions, indeed. If I’m going to add anything to my beer, I’d prefer to do it myself so I can choose the proportions. But that’s just me.

Red Beer

This is another addition to beer that’s popular in Mexico. I’m not sure where the practice of combining beer and tomato juice originated but red beers can be very tasty. If you try this yourself, start at about 1/3 juice and 2/3 beer then adjust the recipe to your taste. People like to add all sorts of stuff to this drink – salt, lime, hot sauce, clam juice – so pick your poison and enjoy.