Mexico, 1925. The revolution – 10 years of brutal fighting – has concluded. A new society is being forged in the embers of the war. This new country attracts the attention of immigrants seeking a new life and fresh opportunities. Among them are three ambitious Spanish men: Braulio Iriarte, Martín Oyamburu, and Pablo Díez. Seeing an opportunity, they begin “Grupo Modelo” INTRODUCING with the intention of producing a European-quality beer. They install a German brewmaster and create Modelo Especial, a Pilsner-style beer, and the first to be made in Mexico. For the celebration alone, they produce 50,000 bottles. The founders are already thinking grande.
By 1928, Modelo is selling eight million bottles. Almost 100 years later, it’s now the biggest-selling imported beer in the United States, the fourth-largest beer brand globally, and is available on PerfectDraft. What accounts for its current success?
FIRE ROASTED
Delve into the history of Modelo, and you'll see a brand that has developed far beyond its aspirational ‘jet-set' campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s. It is now a premium lager that celebrates its heritage at a time when authentic Mexican food routinely garners the longest queues of the food trucks, and the appeal of the country’s culture – its music, its art, its lifestyle – is growing rapidly.
Take a look at the campaigns from Modelo Especial, and you’ll see that it celebrates the little things in life that make all the difference – the ‘little gestures that might seem small but make a world of difference’, a sentiment that the PerfectDraft community reflects. Underlying it all, however, is the fact that Modelo Especial is a genuinely brilliant beer. It’s a classic Pilsner lager, but with a depth of flavour that is often attributed to the fire-roasted malts it proudly still uses. As well as being the perfect complement to Mexican food, it is an easy-drinking, light and refreshing beer.
You’ll begin to see a lot more Modelo around the UK, in supermarkets and in pubs, but PerfectDraft owners have a chance to get in on the party early. Time to buy some hot sauce and build some tacos.
Tasting notes
Style: Pilsner-style lager
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 18
Aroma:
Slightly fruity and citrusy. It has notes of malts, grains and honey with herbaceous nuances.
Flavour:
Refreshing and slightly sweet, this beer is well-balanced with hops and features a fresh finish. It has fruity and citrus notes on the tongue, too.
Ingredients:
Water, barley malt, non-malted cereals and hops.
Modelo 75 Beer cocktail
The Modelo 75 is a light, refreshing, accessible and unpretentious craft cocktail. It's for people who want to have fun and make the most of the night.
INGREDIENTS
90 ml Modelo Especial
45 ml reposado tequila
30 ml simple syrup
30 ml fresh lime juice
Salt
Chilli powder
Ice
Lime
METHOD
Rim a chilled martini glass with salt and chilli powder. Combine tequila, simple syrup, lime juice and ice in a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into the glass and top with Modelo Especial.
GARNISH
Chilli powder and salt rim, floating lime wheel.
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