Bavarian Music Works


Brewery and Country of Origin: Cerveceria Modelo of Campos Eliseos 400, Mexico City, 11000, Mexico

Date Reviewed: 4-17-13

Before we begin, our hearts go out to everyone affected by Monday's inhuman, cowardly act at the 117th Boston Marathon. As runners ourselves who were in the area targeted at the time, we can't express in words how deeply saddened and angered we are for the victims, runners, families, the City of Boston, and the running community world wide. Boston is a tenacious city, and runners always find a way to get through adversity.
We stand by you, Boston.

As you probably know, this beer is named for the Pacific Ocean, the body of water where this beer's city of origin, Mazatlan, a port city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is located. Sinaloa is Mexico's 16th most populous state with Mazatlan being Sinaloa's second largest city. The city, which was founded by Spanish and Indian settlers, has a population of about 430,000 people known for their diversity and love for music and seafood (home to the second largest fishing fleet in Mexico). The city is also home to an unusually high German population. Back in the 1800s, the city saw a large influx of German immigrants who turned the settlement into a thriving economic center. They began importing machinery and industrial equipment to be used in the mining of nearby gold and silver deposits. The German immigrants also brought a slice of Bavaria with them, including beer and music. Banda is a style of Mexican-German fusion music which features the heavy use of brass instruments, and elements from Bavarian polka music. And what goes great with German polka? lager, of course. Three late 1800s German settlers got together to establish the Cerveceria del Pacifico in the port city. Their first beer, a Mexican style German Pilsner, was first brewed in 1900, and remains the brewery's primary product. The brewery was purchased by Grupo Modelo in 1954, which has remained the parent company to this day. The beer's label features a small circular picture of the famous Cerro del Creston, a hill along the coast known for its lighthouse.
Date Sampled: 4-12-13 At: Border Cafe, 32 Church Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Beer Style: Mexican Adjunct Lager
Alcohol by Volume: 4.50%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle, 8 oz Stange Glass
Rating: 2.56

Look

This beer has a very pale golden color with a clear appearance which lets a lot of light through, giving it a bright shine. This is a filtered beer with no visible sediment. This beer pours choppy with a medium high amount of carbonation action, creating a thinner, quarter inch foam head with a quick dissipation, a low density, and a low amount of retention. This beer does not lace on the glass.

Aroma

Pacifico has a weak aroma with a mostly grainy character. There is a very pale malt presence with the expected subtle Central European hops secondary. This beer gives off a mostly bittersweet aroma with not prominent or markedly unbalanced aspect between hops and malt. There are no fruity or alcohol aromas present.

Feel

This is a light bodied beer with a very low viscosity, a medium amount of carbonation, and a low weight, giving it a very light overall feel which makes it great for the summertime... or a Mexican beach. This beer finishes crisp with a slightly dry character, and in general, the close is pretty refreshing.

Taste

As expected, this lager is quite grainy in both flavor and aroma. The beer exhibits very little in the way of noticeably sweet malt, and little, if any traceable secondary notes. The flavor shifts to being slightly hoppy as somewhat typical pilsner qualities bring out a bitter finish. Very light pale and weak malts are barely noticeable toward the beginning of the profile. The dry and hoppy aftertaste lingers for a short while.

Our Take

Overall, this beer delivers exactly what you'd expect, but with a slight hoppy twist. Sadly, Mexican beers have yet to really convince us that great beer exists south of the border. We know they're down there though, and to this date, Pacifico ranks as one of the highest (still, not really saying much). Either way, this beer's light presence, somewhat traditional profile, and crisp, refreshing finish make it a great hot weather beer. And with winter finally over (in Boston, at least), we can finally start reviewing things that aren't heavy stouts. Well, that is if we cared about the beer seasons that much. In the end, Mexico isn't necessarily known for their beer. But the Mexican brewing industry does produce the number one imported beer in America. And if you're not yet convinced that Mexican beer will someday be respectable enough to drink, then at least compare it to the usual crap people get drunk on. Not the best supporting argument, but what can you do?