Not so long ago (late April as I recall) I was in Total Wine looking for German beer. The year 2016 is, after all, the 500^th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot German beer purity law, and I’ve been celebrating that fact all year long with lots and lots of delicious German beer. I was looking for the Weihenstephaner 1516 Kellerbier (I found it) but I also picked up some Oskar Blues Beerito Mexican Lager. Which is also kinda German.

You may wonder how a Mexican-style beer brewed in the USA is German, but you may already know (or will shortly if you don’t) that Mexican amber lagers (think Dos Equis or Negra Modelo) are in the Vienna Lager/Marzen style. Indeed, Moctezuma, the brewery that produces Dos Equis, was founded in 1884 by a German immigrant.

And now we have Beerito, Oskar Blues stab at producing a Mexican amber lager. Released just in time for Cinco de Mayo, it comes conveniently packaged in highly portable and (as the brewery says on the label) infinitely recyclable aluminum cans.

From the website:

Beerito …… is a light bodied, amber Mexican lager brewed with premium German and coloRADo sourced craft malts and featuring a crisp accent from noble hops. The mouth feel is incredibly smooth with flavors of walnut, toasted bread, plum, honey and cocoa - 4% ABV doesn't always come with this kind of character.

Oskar Blues Beerito has an alcohol content of 4% by volume (they just said that) which is on the lower end for the style, which generally hovers around 5% ABV. Hey, that just means you can have an extra one if you like. The beer also has 21 IBUs and was $8.99 a six-pack when I bought mine. My can says “Oskar Blues Longmont Colorado” on the can; it doesn’t mention the new Asheville brewery. Perhaps that means Beerito is only brewed in Colorado. The bottom of my current can tells me the beer was packaged on 3/28/16; I drank it on May 12^th. It also says “You boys like Mexico?”, a line from the movie Super Troopers.

Oskar Blues Beerito Mexican Lager pours to a brilliant copper color with a luscious nutty malty nose and a thick rocky head of foam. Taking a sip, the beer is full of the rich toasty nutty malt flavors I want in the style with an oh so subtle hint of chocolate and a light but drying herbal grassy hop bitter hop aroma and finish. A very nice Vienna lager with perhaps a little less malt to match the Mexican examples of the style, but a very tasty and drinkable beer indeed.

I think I may have that extra one after all. Dare I suggest it with… a burrito?

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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