Mexican Dark Lager

After the war, German and Austrian immigrants began settling in what is today Texas and Mexico, but there isn’t a direct line from those settlers to modern day, mass-marketed beer. In fact, the Mexican-style lager has more in common with Vienna Lager than with the light, fizzy beers many associate with the country today, and for many years it was easier to find Vienna Lager in Mexico than in Austria.

Originally developed by Anton Dreher in Vienna in the mid-19th century, the malty, copper-colored beer began to fall out of favor in Europe as pale lagers took over. However, brewers trained in the Vienna style made their way to modern-day Mexico, where they continued the Vienna lager tradition.

The beer’s influence greatly grew when Maximilian I, a Vienna-born member of the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine, was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico in 1864. He and his band of beer drinkers brought a love of Vienna lager with them, and although Maximilian I did not last long as Emperor—he was executed in 1867—a taste for Vienna lagers continued.

pFriem Mexican Dark Lager takes a classical approach to brewing a Vienna Lager, combined with ingredients and technique used in Mexico. German inspired pilsner malt and Vienna malt sourced locally make a bright and beautiful toasted base, while flaked maize softens and rounds out the body of the beer. The addition of dark malts provide a rich, dark color while imparting a toffee and chocolate aroma and flavor. German grown hops provide lovely grassy, and herbal aromatics.