Thursday, May 5, 2011

It's Cinco De Mayo! Negra Modelo for me! You?

I'm rollin' with the "black sheep" of Mexican beers.

* What a damn week this has been! Things have been hectic to say the least, but since I am all about positive energy and keeping vibes cool, let's keep it moving. With that being said, sorry for the delay. I have been cussed out a bit about the hiatus in updating the site, but things were, like I said, nuts, but you have to be there for loved ones, you feel me? Anyway, let’s kick it! Here we go!

I hope you had a chance to check out the new episode of Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’, featuring one of the best beer bars in the world, The Porter, in Atlanta’s Little Five Points. Molly, the co-owner of The Porter, did a fantastic job and we gelled perfectly! If, for some crazy reason, you didn’t see it, welcome back from your trip to Mars! Here it is again: Ale Does The Porter. Enjoy!
My boy Mr. T and I are about to kick it for Cinco De Mayo!
Now let’s get to what’s poppin’ off today: Cinco De Mayo! Yep, this May 5th celebration gives a nationwide shout out to the Mexican army who finally whipped the French’s ass at the Battle of Puebla on, you guessed it, May 5, 1862. The U.S. and parts of Mexico eventually made this date an official excuse to patronage Mexican restaurants, toast glasses filled with Margaritas and partake in a ton of festivities strongly influenced by the States’ southern neighbor. The music, the grub, the noise…you can’t hate on that!
But what about the brews?
Well, true, from a mainstream perspective to keep things simple, Corona certainly gets a tremendous amount of coverage all over television, complete with limes and tanned bodies of people who swear that they are the coolest, dancing on beaches, but that is not the only Mexican beer, people! And yeah, supposedly the “Most Interesting Man in the World” drinks Dos Equis occasionally, but nah. Not me. 
Honestly, when I hit up a Mexican spot, I order Negra Modelo (5.4 percent ABV), which is kinda the black sheep of Mexican beers. Due to its availability in almost every restaurant themed around anything south of the border, its malty backbone, refreshing taste with just a tad of bitterness that balances out the sweet,and slick bottle complete with the foil top, it’s a winner in my book. To add, it stands out from the typical, light lagers because of its ruby brown appearance, bolder taste, strength (compared to the ABV’s in the 4 percent range), and overall characteristics of a Munich Dunkel. Nice!
What the...?
And no, even though many may think it similar to a dark ale like a stout or lager simply because of its appearance, this is no one of those brews served in the 50s Fahrenheit. Sip this one ice cold, homey! Oh, and no limes or lemons for this one. Those wedges of sourness are used primarily to bring a citrus taste and counter the skunkiness many of those lagers unfortunately breathe due to poor storage and clear bottles. But hey, although this action is shunned upon in many other brew circles, do you! Just don’t add any damn grenadine to something like a Corona, which I have seen in a few clubs. This is totally uncool if you are serious about beer. Seriously.
Anyway, moderate the tequila shots, pop a Prilosec, and have a ball on Cinco De Mayo!
¡Salud!
Ale

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