When asked to name a brand of Mexican beer, most of us would say “Corona” while visualising those lame television ads involving a man and a woman on a deserted beach, an ice bucket, two beers and the obligatory lime wedges.
Despite their attempts at clever advertising, it seems strange to me how the most widely known beers imported into Canada have very few fans in their homeland ! Ask any self-respecting Aussie if they like Foster’s, for example, and they’ll say something like, “oh yeh, roight, mate, that’s Australian for *!#*^.” Nor, from the Caribbean to the Baja peninsula, did I ever see any Mexicans drinking Corona, And then there is Molson Canadian … but, I digress.
There are a lot tastier offerings of commercially brewed beer in Mexico than Corona, of course, but on my last jaunt down there I was delighted to discover, quite by accident, a charming little craft brew pub. Perched atop the Cabo Villas Beach Resort in the American tourist mecca of Cabo San Lucas, Baja Brewing Company seems to have a passionate following among travellers and locals alike. I must admit I was initially lured up to Baja’s rooftop terrace by their flag, a whimsical logo of a burro following a beer on a stick.
The open air bar at the top of the winding stairs offers a postcard view of the harbour and the stunning rock formations of “Land’s End”. From the menu of seven offerings, I was able to try five of them before settling on my favourite, Mango Wheat Ale, made with 50 per cent wheat, 50 per cent barley and over 4,000 mashed mangoes! The result was a hazy, light copper coloured, pleasantly sweet brew. Served at the perfect temperature of about 9°C, I could really smell and taste the delicate but unmistakeable flavour of the mango. Exactly what I had hoped for, since I decided then and there to settle in and while away the afternoon as palm trees waved, and the laughter of kids on the beach drifted up in the warm breeze. ¡ Salud, y viva México !
Terry (a.k.a “Terésa, rhymes with Cerveza”)
NW Calgary store
