Dos Equis Amber: First World Flavor from a Third World Beer

Ask most people to name a Mexican beer and they’ll name Corona. Coincidentally, if you ask most people to name a bodily fluid, they’ll name urine. That’s why I feel the need to educate the masses about Dos Equis Amber which is so superior to Corona you’d think that Corona came from Guatemala. By the way, Guatemala : Mexico:: Mexico: USA. That means Guatemala’s main export to Mexico is dishwashers. This is strictly a socioeconomic observation and is not meant to be taken as an ethnic slur for you PC people.

Like most people, I love Mexican food- and we’re not talking Taco Bell here. Since my first real Mexican restaurant visit approximately 21 years ago, I’ve grown to appreciate all things wrapped in tortillas and covered with cheese and salsa. When I was old enough to order a beer with my Mexican food (or old enough to look old enough) there were few brew choices and Corona was not one of them. I can’t say I remember the exact day that I first ordered a Dos Equis but I can’t recall ordering anything else since.

Dos Equis Amber is actually classified as a lager, but it has the body and bouquet of a fine amber ale. It’s something like a Newcastle Brown Ale mixed with Sam Adams. Most interestingly it seems to have less carbonation and/or gas than your average lager. That’s why I wonder if our friends south of the border may be a little confused about the type of beer they’re brewing. As a result of its reduced gas producing elements, Dos Equis Amber makes the perfect match for food already rich in gas producing ingredients (i.e. beans, onions and cheese).

The history behind Dos Equis is also very interesting. Dos Equis has been brewed since 1900 and was developed by master brewer Wilhelm Haase who emigrated from his native Germany to Mexico and melded the traditions of his homeland with the ones of his new country to create this excellent brew. The brew was originally called “Siglo XX” to signify the coming millennium. It seems some ad whiz should have tried to capitalize on this during the hoopla surrounding last year’s faux millennium celebration but missed the opportunity. Of course today we all know Siglo XX as Dos Equis or the “two x’s” in English.

My love of all things Mexican has evolved into a unhealthy obsession with Salma Hayek and a yearning to live a life more like Anthony Quinn (who is half Mexican and half Irish) by humping around and fathering illegitimate children into my seventies. But most importantly, it has lead to my yearly tradition of celebrating Cinco de Mayo with mucho Mexican food and you better bet mucho Dos Equis.

So take it from me and my unhealthy obsessions, try Dos Equis Amber and never order Corona again. NEVER. I would also recommend not confusing Dos Equis Amber with Dos Equis Special Lager. The latter tastes like Molson made with urine. If you have trouble imaging that, trust me it’s not good. The only product actually made with urine that still tastes good is Mello Yello. But now I’ve said too much.

Need another Best Mexican Beer opinion? Check out Rob Lieblein’s review of Tecate and Mark Stevens review of Negra Modelo.