The major brewers operate seventeen brewing plants in eleven states and support over ninety barley-producing centers across the country. dollars exports account for some 2.2 billion U.S. Today, domestic sales of beer exceed six billion U.S. Between them, they supply over 90% of all beer in Mexico and the country has overtaken the Netherlands as world leader in total beer production-helped by significant growth in exports to the neighboring U.S. The “big two” corporations managing the Mexican market today are Cerveceria Modelo (Grupo Modelo) and Cerveceria Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma (FEMSA). Smaller breweries that were not bought-out were forced to close as they could not compete with the inefficiencies of scale brought about through consolidation. Successful beers were mass produced and distributed regionally or nationally, and less successful beers disappeared from the market altogether. During the consolidation, smaller breweries were absorbed into the one of the “big-two” breweries, Grupo Modelo or Cerveceria Cuautehmoc-Moctezuma, which emerged as the dominant players of the Mexican beer market. Consolidation of the industry began in the early 1920s and kick-started a process that brought about the beer market we see today. Present-day Beer Brewing in Mexicoīy the time the Mexican Revolution was over, there were more than thirty-five breweries operating in Mexico.
By the early 20th century, beer had become big business in Mexico, helped also by prohibition in the United States, which gave rise to a brisk and profitable trade of beer and other alcoholic beverages along Mexico’s border towns and cities. In the latter part of the 19th century, an influx of German immigrants brought additional knowledge and expertise to the field which caused the local market to diversify and improve its products. The Rise of Mexican Beer ProductionĪfter Mexico’s War of Independence, and the absence of European regulation and taxes, beer production began to flourish in Mexico. The first official concession to brew European-style beers was issued by the Spanish authorities in the middle of the 16th century however, despite the brewers’ attempts to expand the business by growing more crops locally to increase the supply of barley at a lower price, heavy regulation and very high taxation imposed by Spain on locally-produced beers and wines (thus forcing Mexicans to buy imported beverages from European traders) stymied the industry’s growth. The Spaniards were the first to introduce barley and wheat based beers to Mexico although production was limited in the early days, in part due to the lack of available grains. Following the Spanish conquest, pulque became a secularized beverage and its consumption expanded. In Aztec times, the drink was sacred and taken only by the elite.
Pulque, still sold today, is made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant and creates a thick, milky, and quite potent mixture. Mesoamerican PeriodĮven before the Europeans arrived, ancient civilizations had been fermenting plants and corn grains to produce alcoholic beverages in Mexico. This guide shares insights into the story of the Mexican beer industry and and introduces you to all of Mexico’s contemporary beer products from the country’s two main brewers. Mexicans have been brewing beer for centuries and today Mexico is one of the world’s top beer-producing countries.Ī large range and variety of beers are brewed in Mexico, and some of them are top selling beers in markets other than Mexico, including the USA, Canada, Europe and Australasia.