Mexican Lager Recipe: How to Brew a Refreshing Cerveza

In This Article

Introduction to Mexican Style Lagers

The warm sun beats down on the white sands, and you rest comfortably in your chaise lounge. Your suit is still wet from your recent wade into the foamy waters, and the breeze is cool as it blows over you. You reach into the galvanized bucket sitting next to you, partially submerged in the sand, filled to the brim with ice and cold bottles. You pull out a bottle, crack it open, and take a sip of the cool, refreshing flavor of your homebrewed Mexican lager.

In the summer, there are few things as refreshing to sip on in the warm sun as lagers, and one lager style in particular has the distinct flavor of a beach vacation, even in your own backyard. With the right recipe, the Mexican Cerveza (Mexican Lager) can be a refreshing way to cool down after mowing the lawn, the perfect accompaniment to grilling, or just the right thing to sip on while watching the fireflies start their dance in your backyard in the evening.

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History of Mexican Lager

Mexican Brewing Influences

Mexican lager, of course, was not always a “vacation beer.” It was originally brewed by Austrian Immigrants who helped build up the Mexican brewing industry, and it still bears many hallmarks of their influence.

They tended to prefer malts similar to those used in European brewing, such as Munich and Vienna malts. However, costs in brewing often lead to the addition of adjuncts, and in Mexico, that means corn.

Evolution into a Mass-Market Beer

Over time, their malts increasingly came from the US and Canada, and the breweries were acquired by larger companies, leading to consolidation. As a result, the current Mexican brewing market is primarily owned by two conglomerates.

Since our interest is staying faithful to the style and maintaining a good flavor profile, the recipe we created is intended to mimic some of the US craft beer industry’s take on Mexican lager.

What Defines the Style?

Not an Official Category—but Instantly Recognizable

When someone hears “Mexican Lager,” they know what it means, even though it is not an official style in the BJCP or BA style guidelines. It’s generally seen as a narrower interpretation of the “International Pale Lager,” but that style is extensive.

Key Characteristics to Recreate

To narrow it down, we can think of “style” as a set of characteristics we aim to recreate. For instance, this beer is well-balanced, with an ABV range between 4–5.5%, and it should have some characteristic flavor components:

• A light bitterness
• Not a lot of aroma hops
• A distinct “corn” flavor (often achieved using corn in the mash for all-grain brewing)

Designing the Grain Bill

Base Malts and Specialty Options

The influence of the Austrians is in the pilsner and Vienna malts, which make up the base grains. Most of the time, in a modern Mexican Lager, a pilsner malt is the base, with some Vienna malt as a specialty, but this can be adjusted to be heavier on the Vienna malt, depending on the brewer’s tastes. Most American craft beer versions also include some American 2-row malt. The base malts can essentially be any mix of 2-row, pilsner, and Vienna malts.

In an extract beer, brewers are more limited, so the options tend to be just some pale malt extract and maybe some Vienna malt to add some flavor depth.

Using Corn for Authentic Flavor

To achieve the distinctive “corny” flavor, flaked corn should comprise anywhere from 10–40% of your mash by weight. How much you use will directly affect how strong the corn flavor becomes. Brewers aiming for the high end of that spectrum aim for 40%. Higher than that can make the beer taste off-balance. Our homebrew recipe below aims for about 20% by weight—a nice middle ground.

In the extract beer, we use flaked corn that is steeped without being part of a mash. This will cause some haziness and slight flavor changes, as the corn will not convert completely unless you allow it to “mash” for a long time with the small amount of Vienna malt in the recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute Brewer’s Corn Syrup for the recipe.

A Note on Corn Syrup

Brewers who use corn syrup should ensure they use the brewer’s corn syrup, not something purchased at the grocery store, as there is a distinct difference. The grocery stuff is excellent for baking, but won’t give you the flavor you are looking for here, as it often contains high fructose corn syrup and vanilla flavors.

Mashing, Hops, and Yeast

Temps for Clean Attenuation

Mashing can be a complicated decoction mash if you are fancy, but a simple mash at 152°F (67°C) will generally work well. You are aiming for a good attenuation, so going a degree or two lower is also a good option.

Hop Selection and Bitterness

For hops, German or Czech varieties work best, as the base historical style originated in Europe. However, it’s essential to note that any aroma hops will be very subtle. The bitterness should also be relatively light, with an IBU range of around 20–25. Dry-hopping this style is not recommended, as it’s not particularly suitable here.

Choosing the Right Yeast

For yeast, any very clean yeast will do. If you can obtain it, White Labs offers the WLP940 Mexican Lager yeast, but any clean-fermenting lager yeast will suffice.

If fermenting at lower temperatures is challenging for you (as temperature control often is), consider using a clean-fermenting ale yeast, such as WLP001, to achieve a good result. However, this would then result in an ale, rather than a lager.

Finings, Clarity, and Cold-Crashing

Adding Finings for Visual Appeal

Clarity is essential in this beer, so add some fining during the boil (Irish moss or Whirlfloc works well) and make sure to cold-crash it if possible, even if a lager yeast is used.

Cold-crashing the beer causes haze-causing proteins to precipitate out of suspension and settle to the bottom, allowing the beer to be siphoned off of them.

Fermentation Schedule and Diacetyl Rest

Primary fermentation with the lager yeast should be done at around 56°F (13°C) for at least 7 days, then bring it up to 70°F (21°C) for a diacetyl rest. The diacetyl rest will help clean up some fermentation byproducts, making your beer crisper and cleaner, rather than ending up with a “buttery” flavor from diacetyl.

Cold-Crashing in Bottles

Many home brewers have trouble with the cold-crashing and lagering due to a lack of cold storage for something as large as a fermenter or keg, but cold-crashing and lagering can be done in bottles after packaging.

If the batch is placed into the refrigerator after the carbonation period and allowed to sit for a couple of weeks, the proteins will settle out, and then the beer can be poured off the sediment into a glass. This will significantly improve the clarity of the beer.

Carbonation and Packaging

When packaging the beer, the carbonation level should be 2–2.5 volumes of CO₂. The right mouthfeel will result in a crisp, refreshing bite of carbonation.

For brewers who force-carbonate in a keg, it’s best to use an online calculator to get the correct pressure and time. For bottling, there are calculators online that allow you to estimate the preferred priming sugar and weight for your beer, as well.

Conclusion

Whether you are beach-bound, mowing the lawn, or just enjoying a beer in the living room this summer, this version of a Mexican Lager is a refreshing way to do it. The resulting beer will be a crisp, clean lager with a refreshing mouthfeel.

Recipe 1: Nueva Escuela Mexican Lager (All-Grain)

Author: Benjamin Stange
Brew Method: All Grain
BJCP Style Name: International Pale Lager
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Efficiency: 75%

Stats

• OG: 1.051
• FG: 1.012
• ABV: 5%
• IBU: 20.41
• SRM: 3.29
• Mash pH: 5.7

Fermentables

• 6 lb – Pilsner (66.7%)
• 2 lb – Flaked Corn (22.2%)
• 1 lb – Vienna (11.1%)

Hops

• 0.33 oz – Tettnanger (60 min) – IBU: 5.85
• 0.75 oz – Tettnanger (45 min) – IBU: 12.2
• 0.67 oz – Tettnanger (5 min) – IBU: 2.37

Other Ingredients

• 1 tsp Irish Moss or 1 Whirlfloc tablet

Yeast

• White Labs – Mexican Lager Yeast WLP940

Instructions

Mill grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Circulate until clear. Run off into the kettle, sparge, and collect 6.25 gallons.

1. Boil for 15 minutes, add the first hop addition
2. Boil for 15 more minutes, add a second hop addition
3. At 65 minutes, add the fining agent
4. At 70 minutes, add the final hop addition
5. Boil for 75 minutes total
6. Chill to 50°F (10°C), aerate, and pitch yeast
7. Ferment at 56°F (13°C) for 7 days
8. Raise to 70°F (21°C) for diacetyl rest
9. Cold-crash to 35°F (2°C)
10. Package and carbonate to 2.25 vols CO₂
11. If bottling, use 4 oz. of corn sugar
12. Store cold at least 6 weeks before serving

Recipe 2: Nueva Escuela Mexican Lager (Extract with Grain)

Author: Benjamin Stange
Brew Method: Extract
BJCP Style Name: International Pale Lager
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 5 gallons

Stats

• OG: 1.051
• FG: 1.013
• ABV: 5.03%
• IBU: 20.36
• SRM: 3.99
• Mash pH: 5.64

Fermentables

• 4 lb – DME Light (57.1%)
• 2 lb – Flaked Corn (28.6%) (or 1.8 lbs brewer’s corn syrup)
• 1 lb – Vienna (14.3%)

Hops

• 0.33 oz – Tettnanger (60 min) – IBU: 5.83
• 0.75 oz – Tettnanger (45 min) – IBU: 12.17
• 0.67 oz – Tettnanger (5 min) – IBU: 2.36

Other Ingredients

• 1 tsp Irish Moss or 1 Whirlfloc tablet

Yeast

• White Labs – Mexican Lager Yeast WLP940

Instructions

Steep flaked corn and Vienna at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes in 6.25 gallons of water.

1. Boil for 15 minutes, add the first hop addition
2. Boil for 15 more minutes, add a second hop addition
3. At 65 minutes, add the fining agent
4. At 70 minutes, add the final hop addition
5. Boil for 75 minutes total
6. Chill to 50°F (10°C), aerate, and pitch yeast
7. Ferment at 56°F (13°C) for 7 days
8. Raise to 70°F (21°C) for diacetyl rest
9. Cold-crash to 35°F (2°C)
10. Package and carbonate to 2.25 vols CO₂
11. If bottling, use 4 oz. of corn sugar
12. Store cold for at least 6 weeks before enjoying