Based in the border town of Mexicali I was surprised that I hadn’t seen anything
by this brewery up until now. I suppose I had never been looking in the right (read,
upper class) places. Well, with a large selection of beers available with exciting
branding I was immediately curious. After trying five of their offerings I was not
disappointed at all and can easily say this was the best brewery I found in Mexico.
Honey - This Honey ale poured straw gold with plenty of lacing and a quickly dissipating
head. There was a clean aroma which brought only the smell of honey and no hints
of grain. On the tongue there were even more impressive results. With none of the
bitterness or ‘corn’ flavors of most Mexican beers the flavors of pear and honey
shone through. There was also a crispness to the finish. This was a great beer
for standing on the rooftop in the sun waiting for the grill to heat up.
Classico - Cucapa’s Golden Ale seemed like a good place to go from the Honey. This
beer was lighter than the honey ale pouring gold with a thick head and good lacing.
The smell was bready and promising. Two sips and I was sold, even if it wasn’t
the style a connoisseur may go for. The taste was malty, like sweet caramel and it
went down thicker that it appeared. I would definitely go for this beer again.
Templar Artesanal Tipo Ale - I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this beer. With
no real description other than the implications of the name I wanted badly to find
a beer that was maybe brewed with Eurpean hops in a Belgian style. Pouring the beer
I was surprised and a bit disappointed to find that it was very light but a second
glance confirmed that, while light, this brew was unfiltered! A smell and a taste
and I had a hard time containing my excitement. With an unusual, especially in there
parts, herbal taste I would almost classify this as a saison. There were also hints
of yeast as you would expect for an unfiltered brew. Overall, I was surprised and
happy to find this south of the border.
Chupacabra’s Pale Ale - This guy poured rather dark for a Pale Ale, with an amber/mahogany
hue. It gave a good pour though with a solid head. The nose was a bit grainy, and
that was followed by a sweet hoppy taste. I feel like this beer failed, and not
so much for the lack of hops but for the grains in the nose and unbalanced flavor.
There wasn’t enough carbonation or maltiness to even out the sweet flavor.
Oscura - The pour has plenty of head but no lacing and a dark woody color. There
was a faint nose which carried a bit of spice, though this didn’t carry through to
the taste. Rather, it had a bit of a smoky flavor and was smooth in the mouth. With
only 4.8% ABV and a not so impressive flavor I would pick several other "Dark" beers
over this.
Location: Mexicali, BC, MEX
Brews Tasted:
Honey
Classico
Templar Artesanal Tipo Ale
Chupacabra’s Pale Ale
Oscura
Website: http://www.cucapa.com/
