Happy Cinco de Mayo! To commemorate the day (which originally had nothing to do with drinking—that’s the Americanized version of course), I’ve got reviews of two Mexican-style lagers for  you, both of which were just recently released. Cheers!

Iron Hill Brewery Lemon Cerveza Mexican Style Lager

I had received a six pack of Lemon Cerveza from Iron Hill last week, which is the brewery chain’s summer seasonal release that officially dropped today. In fact, I got the press release via email today as well, with some details:

Iron Hill Brewery (Iron Hill) announces the release of Lemon Cerveza (5% ABV), a Mexican-style lager with a burst of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and lemon peel, now available in 12 oz. six-packs at over 700 beer, wine, and liquor retailers throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. This clean lager channels the very best of outdoor drinking season with a refreshing taste.

Lemon Cerveza 6-packs will also be available at all Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant and TapHouse locations on draft and in cans starting May 5th . Enjoy the refreshing lemon notes of Lemon Cerveza by pairing it with light and easy flavors, like the Baja-style Fish Tacos or the Loaded Nacho Burger from Iron Hill’s Burger Month Menu.

This warm weather beer inspired the turquoise hues and vibrant tropical colors on the can artwork featuring a laid-back beach on an island or Mexican paradise, transporting drinkers to summer from the moment they pick up the can with the bright taste of lemon.

The brewery also posted about the beer on its blog today, how it started as a homebrew for a wedding, which is always a fun origin story. The beer is 5% ABV.

Appearance: Pale golden-yellow, bright clarity, good white head.

Smell: Hmmm… some DMS (dimethyl sulfide) combining with the lemon peel seems to give it something of a light rubber tire aroma. There’s a squeeze of lemon juice, and some lemon oil, otherwise it’s quite light. I will note that the DMS dissipates so it’s only really prominent when first opened and poured.

Taste: Earthy bitterness that has to be from the lemon peel, which is slightly oily, slightly spicy, pithy. It has a bit of a corn chip flavor character, with a touch of grainy sweetness. The lemon takes on an herbal note as it warms, and it’s quite light with a clean fermentation character (once the DMS dissipates).

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp, dry but you almost get a “slick” of lemon peel oil in the end.

Overall: The aroma is a bit weird at first, but it tastes fine, and it’s a good hot weather beer.

Crux Fermentation Project El Crucero Mexican-Style Lager

I just received this from Crux yesterday, so of course I opened it up today as well. This beer came out last month and features Motueka hops, a bit of a departure for the general style. The description says:

Grounded by an intriguing malt backbone and lifted by a delicate citrus aroma, this south of the border lager is one you’ll want to sip long after the sun has gone down. Brilliantly clear and highly crushable, our tribute to the traditional Mexican-Style Lager is dry-hopped with Southern Hemisphere Motueka hops, adding a distinct citrus finish so you can skip the lime and still get the full experience of this iconic style. Salud!

It’s 4.8% ABV with 20 IBUs.

Appearance: Pale yellow, good clarity, with active carbonation and a lacy white head.

Smell: Mild, grainy, perhaps a hint of DMS but it’s pretty clean. There’s a mellow, subtle citrus aroma from the hops that does remind me a bit of lime (as the description above suggests). Floral.

Taste: Crackery malt with a nice snap of herbal bitterness that has a floral, almost kaffir lime leaf note to it. Earthiness, hints of mushroom, and grassy citrus. Clean fermentation profile. I do like how the hops work here, they add a different dimension to the usual Mexican lager profile.

Mouthfeel: Light, crisp, dry finish.

Overall: It’s quite tasty, with an interesting hop profile for a new spin. Recommended!