Oaxaca Libre
Mikkeller ApS

Copenhagen 22/3 2020. 47,3 cl can from Mikkeller Webshop. Blank metal can with sticker. Keith Shore drawing of a Mexican lady with flowers on the sticker.

Pours slightly unclear, pale yellow with a medium-sized, white head. A bit bubbly. Settles as thin, flimsy layer of foam unable to cover the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is moderately intense, malty sweet with some spicy, citric notes. sweet pale malts, sugar, bread, corn. Grassy bitterness lurking in the background.

Medium strong carbonation. Thin, oily, tingling texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a slightly more moderate grainy bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a sourish twist. Lingers shortly. Semi-dry finish.

A bit nondescript - but then again so is a Mexican lager quite often.

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left some lacing on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of corn adjuncts are present in the nose along with hints of grain.
T: The taste follows the smell and is mostly dominated by flavors of corn adjuncts. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied (but not watery) and clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This lager is very easy to drink and although there is a lot of corn it doesn't taste gimmicky. This would make for a good lawnmower beer.

Serving type: can

 

i enjoyed pretty much all of the light lager types here at mikkeller in new york, but this was one of the best. its cool they are doing so many of them, makes sense for a baseball watching context, which i imagine is where a lot of their business comes from, this would be a fine beer for an all afternoon session at a ballgame. to me this is a little more than a standard mexican lager, although the mexican yeast is obvious, its such an underrated strain in this context, flavorful and delicate at the same time, i love it. this beer is cool, it does have a light corn sweetness in the middle of it, although im not sure whats all in the mash. i also get a lime hit, a quick floral aspect, and a springy almost blooming freshness, slightly more hoppy than many, even a little spiciness to it in the finish before the snappy dry finish, pretty evolved for a simple style like this, and infinitely drinkable. light sweetness in the middle, a floral honey flash, and a bit of a hop zip at the end, citrus and grass. clean overall, nicely carbonated, and well lagered. delicious summer beer right here, among my favorites of the light ones we had in here...