TJ Tijuana Mexican Lager
Cerveza Tijuana

12 oz single can from Trader Joe in Salem OR
87 cents.
Brewed in Tijuana.
Pours gold/yellow colour, substantially darker than most Mexican light lagers..nice rocky/frothy white head.
Aroma of barley and grass clippings... actually not as bad as that sounds!
Taste similar with a bit of mineral and slight chalk..just barley and a touch of hop.
Mouth feel just this side of thicker than usual..but its fine.
Simple clean drinking beer.

Smell features the caramel lager for which the style is known. Sweetness follows through to the aftertaste and finishes really clean. The carbonation is a little high at the start and the texture a little watery and boring at the finish. Overall, this is a drinkable Mexican lager and probably all you ask for when you buy a single lager at Trader Joe's on a Saturday afternoon.

For $9.99 a twelve this cant be beat. Smells more like a Pilsner and taste is a little too light for a Vienna lager but still very enjoyable. Maybe not the best crafting but still worthy of a try.

Appearance: Pours a bright golden, medium orange color with a massive, billowing head. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong bready aroma. Lots of fresh baked bread with a touch of lemon, honey, and caramel. Light hop. Touch of grass, lemon, and pepper. (4.00)

Taste: Much more malt in the flavor. Spicy peppery hop notes upfront. Then evolves into the main show. A sweet bread malt wipes it away. A richer and caramelized Munich malt underneath. A touch of dried cherry. Very rich flavor profile. Finishes sweet, but enough drying yeast and carbonation to balance it out. (3.75)

Feel: Medium-heavier bodied. Good carbonation. Drinks relatively heavier than I expected. Leaves a rich, sweetness on the palate. (4.00)

Overall: A good and very drinkable Vienna lager. A malt focused beer. More flavor than I was expecting. Lighter in flavor profile for a typical Vienna lager. Couldhave more dark fruit flavor. Nonetheless, it has the classic Vienna rich, caramelized flavor. Plus, the price cannot be beat. (Final Rating: 3.92)

 

Clear pale gold with two fingers of white head. Lace forms as head drops.
Smell is faint grainy malt.
Taste is grainy malt with a kiss of herbal hops.
Mouthfeel is light with strong carbonation. Finish is lightly dry and balanced.
Overall a tasty Mexican style lager. Best by date is 08.18/2019!

Mediocre but affordable.

C- / BELOW AVERAGE

 

Attractive clear pale amber brew with an abundance of foam in the New Belgium snifter. Flabby and sweet with the slightest resiny hit. Otherwise it's kind of dishwatery with that bitter edge. Metalic and grainy and it gets less palatable with every sip.

It's funny that this doesn't taste anything like the familiar light Mexican lagers. This is more like a Blonde Ale with extra corn. But the label claims it's brewed with the usual ingredients and no adjuncts. From the 12 oz can purchased at TJs, no doubt.

This has the look down, a tan tinged gold with a creamy cap. Not much aroma to speak of. Flavor is a mess, with a cardboardy taste dominating. Salt and lime makes it barely palatable.

 

 

 

12 oz can served in a pilnser glass. Best before 042719. Date stamp LD780123 17:04.

Appearance: Clear light gold color, with just a hint of orange to it. 1/4" white head with persistent lacing.

Smell: Clean, with just a hint of floral aroma and noble hops.

Taste: Crisp with more of a pilsner character than vienna lager. Light noble hop bitterness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation, but approaching fizzy. A tiny bit sticky on the teeth, just a bit thicker than water.

Overall / Drinkability: Easily drinkable and I feel this would pair well with food, and not just Mexican either. I think this would pair nicely with pizza, seafood, and maybe some spicy asian food, like Thai. I'm not sure if would work well with a curry or not. But it's a good simple lager, and I feel it is much more in the category of a German Pilsner than a Vienna lager. Still, a very solid Mexican take on a German lager and I'll have to get this again.

Tijuana has a very thick, off-white head, a mostly clear, bubbly, golden appearance, lots of powdery sediment, and heavy glass lacing. Aroma is of sweet white bread crust, a touch of orange marmalade, and faint hop resin. Taste is of white bread crust, some citrus, strong hop bitterness, and a bit of that Meso-American paper thing. Mouthfeel is medium, and Tijuana finishes crisp and refreshing.

RJT

 

Poured into a pilsner glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a fine two finger white head with good retention and thick lacing; looks good. Aroma of grainy biscuit malt, grassy hops, light lemon and a little caramel. Flavor is husky and grainy biscuit malt, grassy hops, diacetyl leaning caramel and a hint of lemon tartness. Finishes with lingering caramel and dry husky hops. Medium bodied with light creaminess, good mouth feel. Has a classic Mexican (Vienna) lager profile. Actually looks very nice and smells good, but the flavor is a bit rough around the edges. This can had indications of diacetyl, which I haven't noticed in a review beer for a long time, although the buttery caramel flavor does fill up and balance the rather grainy malt. An adequate, but unbalanced lager that was inexpensive at Trader Joe's (and I was surprised to see that the "TJ" on the can was also on the sign for Cerveceria Tijuana, not Trader Joe. It is apparenntly a common abbreviation for Tijuana. Odd little coincidence.)