Beer in Mexico has a long history. While Mesoamerican cultures knew of fermented alcoholic beverages, including a corn beer, long before the Spanish conquest, European style beer brewed with barley was introduced with the Spanish soon after Hernán Cortés’s arrival. Production of this beer here was limited during the colonial period due to the lack of materials and severe restrictions and taxes placed on the product by Spanish authorities. After the Mexican War of Independence, these restrictions disappeared, and the industry was permitted to develop. Furthermore, the arrival of German immigrants and the short-lived empire of Austrian Maximilian I in the 19th century provided the impetus for the opening of many breweries in various parts of the country. By 1918, there were 36 brewing companies, but over the 20th century, the industry consolidated until today, only two corporations, Grupo Modelo and Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma formerly known as FEMSA Cerveza control 90% of the Mexican beer market. This industry is one of the most prevalent in the country, with over 63% of the population buying one brand or another. Beer is also a major export for the country, with most going to the United States, but is available in over 150 countries worldwide.
Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico that exports beer to most countries of the world. Its export brands include Corona, Modelo, and Pacífico. Grupo Modelo also brews brands that are intended solely for the domestic Mexican market and has exclusive rights in Mexico for the import and distribution of beer produced by Anheuser-Busch. Until the 1960s, Grupo Modelo used red poppy flowers in its advertising, where almost any image it used had poppy flowers somewhere in the image.
Cerveza Pacífico Clara, better known as Pacífico, is a Mexican pilsner-style beer. Cerveza Pacífico is named so because the Pacífico brewery is located in the Pacific Ocean port city of Mazatlán, in the state of Sinaloa, México.
San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB) is a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and jointly owned with Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. The company is the Philippines’ largest brewery with a market share of over 95% as of 2008. The company also operates in China and Southeast Asia.
A michelada is a Mexican drink made with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces, spices, tomato juice, and chile peppers. It is served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. There are numerous variations of this beverage throughout Mexico.
Mahou San Miguel is a Spanish brewing company, founded in Madrid in 1890 under the name of Hijos de Casimiro Mahou, fabrica de hielo y cerveza.
Trujillo is a Peruvian brand of pilsner beer owned by Backus and Johnston. This beer is sold in Glass bottles of 310 ml, 355 ml, 500 ml, 620 ml and in cans. Pilsen Trujillo is brewed in the Backus brewery located in Trujillo city.
Cerveza is a Spanish word meaning beer. It may also refer specifically to:
The primary beer brewed and consumed in Chile is pale lager, though the country also has a tradition of brewing corn beer, known as chicha. Chile's beer history has a strong German influence – some of the bigger beer producers are from the country's southern lake district, a region populated by a great number of German immigrants during the 19th century. Chile also produces English ale-style craft beers while also developing its own craft beer identity.
Hijos de Rivera, S.A. is a Spanish brewery founded in 1906 in the city of A Coruña, Galicia. The main brand is Estrella Galicia, a 5.5% abv pale lager.
Beer is a popular beverage in Venezuela. The country produces a variety of beers and beer-related products, and though not very varied, they are very popular in Venezuela. According to The Wall Street Journal, Polar beer was shut down in April 2016 as the Venezuelan government restriction shortened the supply of malted barley necessary to produce beer.
Estrella Galicia is a brand of pale lager beer, manufactured by the company Hijos de Rivera Brewery, and located in A Coruna, Galicia, Spain.
The Compañía Cervecera de Puerto Rico is a large brewery in Puerto Rico. It is located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The company's main brand is Medalla Light.
Wendy Sulca Quispe is a Peruvian singer of Huayno music, who found fame thanks to YouTube, where her videos "La Tetita", "Cerveza, Cerveza" and "Papito" ("Daddy") have enjoyed success.
Paceña is a Bolivian beer produced in La Paz, hence its name that means the one of La Paz. The beer is produced by CBN a company that dates back to 1877 and that controls 80% percent of the Bolivian beer market. Paceña is made at about 3600 meters above sea level with purified water from the Andes.
Beer in Colombia is a sizeable industry ranging from small local micro-brews to large scale productions of popular brands. It is estimated that Colombia has more than 15 large national brands ; but dozens of small/local microbrewery boutique beers are growing beyond regional demand.
This article discusses beer in Central America.
Costa Rica has a very strong beer industry centered on mass-produced Lagers. Imperial beer, produced by Florida Ice & Farm Co. is known and associated with Costa Rica all around the world.
Caboface or Camara Boliviana de Fabricantes de Cerveza is a Bolivian trade camera dedicated to organizing Bolivia's beer manufacturers. Caboface's main offices are located at La Paz.
The annual consumption of beer in Argentina is about 33 litres per person.
