Get Your Hop On: Dogtoberfest and the El Perro Grande Mexican Lager
It’s that time of year again where beer is enjoyed in the great outdoors and dogs and humans come together to compete in the raddest costume contest of all.
That’s right — Dogtoberfest!
If you’re into beer fests, partying it up with other beer-loving humans and their dogs in costumes in crisp (hopefully) fall weather, getting in on 45+ craft beers to kick off this season of festivities, and sipping said beers to some hoppin local live music — you’re in luck.
Our yearly DOGtoberfest is THIS WEEKEND, and we just released our featured beer for our beer fest of this mystical season — the El Perro Grande Mexican Lager!
El Perro Grande — A Splendidly Refreshing Beer
With a 5.8% ABV, the El Perro Grande is a Mexican style lager that’s crafted with traditional ingredients and imported malts that give it characteristics resembling warm bread, a slight toastiness, and sweet corn notes — making it perfect for the fall beer festival it’s been crafted for.
The beer’s hops (Warrior and Hallertau) give it a touch of bitterness that balances its light sweetness and hints of warm bread, toastiness, and sweet corn aromas and flavors.
A striking golden colored beer with a creamy white head, this gorgeous gal is different from other Mexican lagers because of the Vienna malts and the generous amounts of flaked corn she was brewed with, as well as a Mexican yeast strain for an extra oomph of authenticity.
Every sip of this slightly sweet and crisp beer gives you the mouthwatering flavors of fall.
Mexican Style Lagers — You Can’t Have Just One
Mexican lagers are becoming the belle of the ball with American beer lovers — probably because they are clean and refreshing brews that are nearly devoid of bitterness and aren’t cloyingly sweet.
A unique and special characteristic of this beer is that flaked maize is used to craft it, which is corn with most of its germ, oil, and protein removed.
When the flaked maize is added, it slightly dries it out and gives the beer its delicious crispness. Also, because the flaked maize contains hardly any protein compared to malted barley, the beer comes out clearer than many other beers.
While this clean and crisp beer known as a Mexican lager can refer to a variety of different beers, more often than not the term refers to a Clara or a Vienna lager. A Clara is known for having low bitterness and being bright and clear, hence the name, while a Vienna style lager is known for its amber coloring and for having an enticing slightly sweet toasted maltiness and a lower bitterness as well.
Mexican lagers are just downright revitalizing beers — perfect for a pick-me-up and always leaving you wanting more than one!
Champion of the Tacos
When you think of Mexican lagers, how can you not think about drinking a cold one with tacos (admit it — you were thinking about it)!?
Mexican lagers are known for being easy to drink, amazing at washing down spice, and work wonders when it comes to cleansing your palate in between bites.
They are pretty much the milk to your cookies and the peanut butter to your jelly — they’re the ultimate beer to your spice.
If you’re not one for the spice, fear not.
The lightness of the Mexican lagers, along with their subtle bitterness, makes them some dang smooth beers to drink and perfect with nearly any food you can think of.
Test it out. You’ll see.
Challenge Accepted
Back in the day, people in Mexico brewed fermented beverages with honey, corn, agave, and other plants and crafted delicious alcoholic beverages for over 1,000 years. One in particular was, and still is, super popular and is known as Pulque — a milky and thick alcoholic drink that’s crafted from fermented sap of an agave or maguey plant.
Even though the people of Mexico were already making some downright delightful fermented drinks, the Spanish came along and shook things up. They introduced barley and wheat-based beers to them, but a lack of the grains that they needed and taxes from Spain made it extremely hard to replicate these beers, and their efforts didn’t last for long.
Fast forward to the 19th century and German and Austrian immigrants began to inhabit Mexico and brought their homeland recipes for amazing brews with them. Things forever changed in Mexico, and the Vienna lager was introduced and brewed with locally farmed maize. Its popularity skyrocketed, and it became a favorite of both immigrants and natives.
The first major brewery to open was in 1890 — the Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc. Following that, with the help of the American Prohibition, Mexican beer production started booming in the early 20th century, resulting in dozens of smaller and independent Mexican breweries flourishing.
With all the fierce competition, eventually only two big breweries were left standing — Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (now owned by Heineken), and Grupo Modelo (now an AB InBev-owned group).
Fast forward to today, and Mexico is the world’s largest beer exporter, and craft breweries there are booming, with the help of the American craft beer scene. More and more craft beer lovers are on the hunt for brews, especially Mexican lagers, that have more complexity to them.
As a result, both Mexican and American craft breweries are rising to the occasion and producing Mexican style lagers with their own unique twists and more individuality and pizazz.
….challenge accepted!
Get Down and Dirty With DogtoberFest
If you’re wanting to get in on some serious fun and compete in a costume contest with your dog while indulging in some utterly delicious craft beer, including the El Perro Grande, join us on Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 3-8 pm!
Come hungry because we’re combining the great traditions of Oktoberfest celebrations with a good old Wisconsin brat cookout — topped off with fun raffles, a fundraiser for the Animal Foundation, rockin local live music, and more.
A Beer Fit for a BEER FEST
Our “El Perro Grande” will pair perfectly with this weekend’s DOGtoberfest event. It is our featured beer and is also the inspiration for this year’s festival merchandise lineup. Not only do we have the featured “El Perro Grande” lager t-shirt ($20), we also have a limited edition “El Perro Grande” trucker hat for just $10. Finally, to top it off, our “El Perro Grande” four packs of 16 oz. cans are on sale on festival day for just $7.99 each!
