The 18th century Ex-Hacienda Corralejo in Pénjamo, Guanajuato, is home to Tequila Corralejo, which for the past ten years has been producing fine boutique tequila for Mexico and the world. Due to an agave crisis in 2001 that drove tequila production prices through the roof and the serendipitous demand for a distinct Mexican beer, the Corralejo Tequila owners decided to diversify their revenue streams and expand into the micro-brew industry.

“A client in the U.S. who consumes our tequila used to distribute Corona up there. So when he lost their distribution he called me up and said he wanted a Mexican beer,” recalls Tequila Corralejo founder and owner Leonardo Rodriguez. “I told him there were only two breweries in Mexico and that was it. So, after a few Corralejos—because Corralejo is the tequila of truth, after 3 glasses you begin to speak the truth—I told him the only person who could make this beer was me. I told him to find me a distillery over there, because I’m a junkman, I can’t buy anything, I don’t have the capital...I had forgotten about it when he called me up one day and said, ‘Hey I got that distillery, it’s impeccable, it’s marvelous...’ And he sent me a photo and the photo looked great. And I made a low offer, being the junkman that I am...”

The tequila makers found an unused beer distillery in Chicago, Illinois, shipped it down to Mexico and reassembled it piece by piece in Pénjamo. The would-be brewers wanted to create a new beer that was different from the rest of Mexican beers, which are awash with lights and ambers. So four years ago they conceived of a darker, heavier, bitterer beer, which would be characterized by its 100% malt ingredients. This beer became known as Potro and was inspired by Mr. Rodriguez’ sons. And on the 18th of September of 2001 the first lot of Potro was produced.

“I always had the illusion of having an exclusive bottle for my products,” reminisces Rodriguez. “For us, the presentation is like a woman. If you see her looking shabby, you won’t approach her. But if you see her all dolled-up, well you make a move and you stay with her your entire life, just like it happened to me. That’s what a bottle is like, you have to present it well, draw people’s attention to it, and if what’s on the inside is good, you stay with her.”

The brewers opted for a distinctive blue, rectangular bottle, which later had to be modified to contain the carbonated pressure, and resulted in the rounded 500ml bottle we recognize today. Since one often holds a normal beer bottle by its base, inadvertently heating the liquid inside, they designed a long neck by which you could hold your beer, without warming it.

“Its not a commercial beer, its a beer to be enjoyed, to be savored. It’s not meant as a thirst quencher...It’s meant for the person that maybe doesn’t like wine, but can appreciate a good beer.”

The next product to be launched was Cheisy, which came about 2 years ago, and is a light beer (with a low 2.5% alcohol by volume) mixed with a lemon-lime soft drink. It is considered an alcoholic beverage but it is neither beer nor soft drink. Which is a tough sell, considering it doesn’t have quite enough punch to get you sauced and it’s not a completely wholesome soft drink, while most people prefer to go either one way or the other.

The next beer to hit the market was Caballero Águila, and the first production of this came about a year and a half ago, and was meant for export to the U.S. It has been in the Mexican market for five months and shares the same characteristics as Potro; both dark, heavy, bitter stouts with a stable head and dominant flavors. Only that Potro has a 4.7% alcohol content compared to Caballero Águila’s 5%.

Since they began production on Potro, the brewers always planned on mixing a beer with tequila. But rather than simply add tequila to Potro, and have yet another dark beer on the market, they decided to create an amber, which became Horus. Horus would have a higher grade of alcohol (approximately 7-8 degrees) and would be specifically formulated to be mixed with white Corralejo tequila. Because when you mix tequila into a beer, the tequila has a tendency to take over the flavor. The desired effect when you drink a Horus is to feel the taste of the tequila, but to leave you with the residual palate of the beer. Horus has a high alcohol content (12%), and after three months on the market, has so far been well received.

Potro has been the flagship label, receiving most of the support and attention, followed by Caballero Águila and Horus, which sold out after its first production run. An average production, or lot, of Potro is 16,000 bottles. Compared to the other beers, which use standard 355ml bottles, and have lots of 22,000 bottles. A lot is produced every two days and consists of approximately 10,000 liters, which is what their tank holds.

“We’re not the ones who sell the most,” proclaims Rodriguez, “we’re the ones who have the best quality. That’s the difference. Quality can’t be done at a high volume.”

Ana Cristina Hernández Segoviano, a young biochemist in her thirties in charge of production, was our guide through Cervecera Mexicana. We asked her why there weren’t more dark beers and stouts in the Mexican market. Had it simply not occurred to anyone else? Or was it due to a lack of available ingredients? Cristina went on to explain that for the creation of any beer, be it a stout, ale or lager, the basic ingredients are always the same: malts, water, hops and yeast. And just about every beer has extra ingredients such as corn, rice, wheat, sorghum, etc. There are an endless variety of malts and hops to choose from, depending on the type of product you wish to create. But due to climate conditions, hops don’t grow naturally in Mexico and have to be imported from Europe, the U.S. and Canada. Hops are the spice of beer and they are what give each beer its distinctive flavor and aroma. It is an expensive ingredient that is used in small quantities. While yeast is a microorganism that gives each beer its own characteristics, sometimes yielding fruity flavors and citric or buttery aromas.

Today Potro and Caballero Águila are being exported to Texas, California and New York, and Potro is also available in Spain. The national market has been a bit more difficult to crack due to the pervasiveness of the two major Mexican breweries. Cervecera Mexicana’s beers can be found throughout Querétaro, Michoacán, Jalisco and parts of Aguas Calientes as well as Chihuahua, Tijuana and the state of Mexico. Tequila Corralejo, Cervecera Mexicana and the glass factory that produces all their bottles combine to employ 300 people on the Ex-Hacienda Corralejo.

Tours are available daily from 9am to 4pm. For more information call: 01(469) 696-4105