Pick Six -- Dedication & Decoction

Cereal cooker I believe though.

 

It's hard to believe that Corona tastes the same worldwide. It's even possible that Corona sold in the US is not the same as that sold in Mexico. The brand in the US is owned by Constellation, while that sold in Mexico and elsewhere is brewed by AB Inbev.

Constellation brews Corona for USA in their Nava plant near the Texas border. It was purchased from AB Inbev when Constellation purchased the US rights to the brand. The US version is mostly from the owned plant with possibly some from AB Inbev Obregon (as identified on the Constellation site).

Another situation where AB Inbev does not own US rights is its Labatt brand. It would be interesting to have a blind tasting of the Canadian Labatt Blue vs. the US version brewed in Canada (not by ABInbev) under contract to Fifco. Labatt Blue Citra sold in the US is brewed by Fifco in Rochester, NY.

 

Isn't a Cereal mash a type of decoction technically?

 

That phrase “all decocted” wasn’t uttered by the brewer, and possibly not even by the person who wrote this piece. It was in the article’s subtitle, which was likely added by an editor — in what was intended as a fluff, “tell me about your ideal mixed 6 pack” piece.

 

M. Jackson's first US ed. of The World Guide to Beer (©1977) did not even mention Corona Extra, since the book came out a few years before that Mexican beer became a phenomenon in the US. About Grupo Modelo, he only noted it was the last of the Big 3 of the Mexican brewing industry, which brewed "...Victoria, a clara which is probably the country's biggest selliing beer and a favorite of the working man."

A decade later, in his The New World Guide to Beer (©1988), written after that first burst of Corona mania in the mid-80s, he noted:

His explanation of the beer's initial popularity in the US:

As for the history of that citrus garnish which, contrary to myth, predated Corona Extra's popularity in the US, see my page Lime in Mexican Beers

 

You know, it really doesn't matter what's in a Corona bottle. Or how it's brewed. It sells. I remember the big craze when Corona came to many American markets. It was an odd fervor. Still is. It's a pretty sorry beer in a really good package. With palm trees, lagoons and beautiful people, what can be wrong that money cannot influence or alter? It's as American as can be.

 

Yes, the subtitle should have included the word “almost.”

Pick Six: Dedication & Decoction with Brienne Allan
Before her @ratmagnet Instagram stories and the industry reckoning that followed, Brienne Allan was, and remains, very much a brewer. Her chosen six-pack—all lagers, [almost] all decocted—are all beers that have played pivotal roles in her professional journey.

 

Regardless of what the article says, let's use some logic here. If Corona is decoction mashed, wouldn't it have some enhanced flavor when compared to the typical AAL? I don't detect anything special.

 

Constellation bought the Obregon brewery from GM/AB-I in 2016.
CB Press Release - Oct 31, 2016 — Constellation Brands Announces Agreement to Purchase Brewery in Obregon, Mexico
According to Constellation's 2021 Annual Report:

 

Wait. A small portion of the grist is held to the side of the main mash, boiled, and then added back to the main mash increase its ability to be fermented? Sounds like a decoction to me.

 

A process used in the brewing of a beer that is derived from tradition that denotes quality can be used, and even promoted, in brews that might not appeal to you. At least a few US brewers advertised the kreusening of their beers. One brewer promoted beechwood aging. Decoction is an expensive process that likely isn't used too often, and likely isn't used in many mass produced beers (if any). But even if it were used, it it is possible that the resulting beer shows little or no evidence of it

 

Popular Ireland brewery (Whiplash) briefly speaks to this (re: cereal mash / decoction); However, Corona's usage is likely to "cut costs"

So We're Building a Brewery Part 5. - Lagers, Mash Cookers & Decoction Concoctions — WHIPLASH (whiplashbeer.com)

Also:

Cereal Mashup | Craft Beer & Brewing (beerandbrewing.com)