¡Saludos a todos mis lectores millonarios! Well, I haven’t really spelled it out on my blog, but the Mills family made the move to Merida, Mexico in August. So far, it’s going great. Our apartment is nice, and, most importantly, our son loves his new school. We plan on staying for the entire 2017-18 school year so that Eduardito can build his Spanish skills. Edwina and I are enjoying our free time together while the genetic lottery winner attends school. Last year’s mud wrestling homeschooling experience was tough on the whole family, so it’s nice having him back in “real” school again. More updates on our life in Mexico, but this post is about cerveza, aka beer.
Here are the referral links for the credit cards we currently use:
Back in the U.S. my wife and I seldom drink beer for a number of reasons. First, it’s carb-loaded, and that’s a big no-no when you’re living a low-carb lifestyle. Second, while they always taste great going down, just a little too much of the amber nectar makes my stomach expand to triple its normal size. (No, my two-pack doesn’t turn into a six-pack.) Third, we generally consider ourselves wine drinkers in the U.S., but here in Mexico a room-temperature glass of wine doesn’t taste the same. When I drink wine in Mexico, I almost always have to add a few cubes of ice to it because it’s almost always at least 90 degrees here in the Yucatan.
Because it’s crazy hot here in the Yucatan, beer has become our alcoholic beverage of choice. The Mexican lagers are light, tasty, and always served cold. Oh yeah and another thing, the beers here tend to be big: tall boys, liter bottles, bucket-o-beers, and whopper draft beers (see pic at top of post). Here are a few pictures of some big beers I’ve come across during my time in Merida.
The beers above are normal 12-ouncers like you’d find in the U.S. However, I bought these by the bucket; something I’ve never done Stateside. At our favorite local joint, Las Vigas, a cubetazo de cervezas (a bucket of 5 beers) costs a little under $6; for two bucks more you can get an order of alitas (chicken wings) to boot. Take my word for it, after a day in the Yucatan heat those Dos Equis really hit the spot…cold, light, and refreshing.
If you like Heineken beer, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s all over Mexico at moderate prices. Our local Oxxo, the Mexican equivalent of 7-11, always has Heinekens on special. Last December I actually bought three tall boy Heines for 20 pesos, at the time that was $1 U.S.! For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed the slightly skunky taste of a cold Heineken, so it’s great to have it as an option here in Mexico.
I’ve seen these small barrels of Heineken in the U.S., but I’ve never bought one before. At the local Walmart, they cost $16.50 (289 pesos) for 5 liters. I have to admit that I’m dying to try one of these.
At that same Walmart I noticed there were lots of Mexican and imported craft beers. I picked up the big beer above for 60 pesos ($3.40). It was so-so, but then again I’m not a beer expert by any means. There are a number of beers to choose from, so I’ll keep trying until I find one I like.
Finally, when you talk about big beers in Mexico, you can’t forget the caguama. These big beers are sold in 1.2-liter returnable bottles and include the most common Mexican beers: Dos Equis, Sol, Tecate, etc. Because there is a lot of competition in the Mexican beer market, you can always find a caguama special somewhere. The special in the photo above is from the local Oxxo which is less than two blocks from our apartment, so running out of beer is an unlikely crisis this year.
Alright, I’m sure the post didn’t help your bottom line, but I just wanted to share some of my observations from Mexico. Going forward I’ll try to write more about our experiences here. Some topics will be: resident visas, road trips, and the cost of living in the Yucatan peninsula. I hope you enjoyed the post even if you don’t drink beer. ¡Salud!
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Nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks Heineken has a skunky taste.
There’s no denying it, it’s just that some people have a taste for skunk!