Blue text on white background.

Brisa beer, created in Mexico in 1979, was the first low-calorie beer in the country. Along with this innovation in the beer industry, it was also among the earliest beers to be canned in aluminum (which is typically the material used today). While these are points that Brisa beer had in its favor, its ultimate downfall would be in what arguably matters most to sales: marketing. Advertisements focused on the light and breezy aspect of the beer to convey that it was low-calorie, ignoring their primary target audience of the time and presenting what many considered an effeminate image that turned viewers against them. Despite efforts, Brisa did not do well enough to keep brewing beer, but there are still many memorabilia items for Brisa available, even if the beer is not.

Red block letters over black text on yellow background.

Sol is a light lager beer that was created in Mexico in 1899. Today, as a subsidiary of Heineken, the lager is enjoyed throughout the world. Sol is marketed to the younger, working class and are known to feature suggestive and artistic advertising. The name of the beer, sun in Spanish, is inspired by the reflection of sunshine on the first pot of beer.

Red, black, and white logos. Black text over green, white, and red background.

Blue text on white over yellow logo on blue with white text. Yellow outline surrounds shield. Background is yellow or white.

Corona Extra is a pale lager beer that is produced in Mexico by two different companies, Cerveceria Mexico and Constellation Brands. The beer was first produced in 1925, and since then, it has become the number one selling imported beer in the United States. Corona is notable for selling their product in clear glass bottles, while most other companies sell in darker bottles to prevent sunlight from interacting with the hops. Corona states that with the finest ingredients they have nothing to hide or spoil for light interaction.

Red and brown XX logo with black text on off white and aged tan background with green outline.

Dos Equis kept the “XX” from the name of their first brew, Siglo XX, which was introduced in 1897 by Wilhelm Hasse, a German immigrant who had moved to Mexico to start the Moctezuma Brewery seven years prior. Although Dos Equis beer had been around since the 1890's, the company’s brews weren’t imported into the U.S. until 1983. Nearly two and a half decades later, Dos Equis was declared the fastest-growing import in the United States. Because Dos Equis became a popular import in the United States, advertising items are found in both Spanish and English. In 2011, the Dos Equis label was redesigned. On the new label, Moctezuma (the last leader of the Aztecs) is printed in shades of light brown facing forward to the future rather than to the left. Any Dos Equis images of Moctezuma facing to the left were printed prior to this design change.

Blue goose illustration and text in center surrounded by red text on white background.

The Wild Goose Brewery, established by two Washington area lawyers, Ted Garrish and John Byington, businesswoman Nancy Davis, and journalist Rich Klein in 1989, initially had a difficult struggle starting up. Wild Goose was a red beer in a green bottle, not tasting or looking the way regular beer did. Jim Lutz was brought in to help with the brand. He would hit local stores and bars, trying to cozy up to distributors. This method, along with a massive marketing campaign that included promotional items designed to attract as much attention as possible, contributed to a dedicated local following to the brand. Promotional items ranged from Matchbox cars, model train boxcars, t-shirts, hats, and other items offered for sale at the brewery as well at a local shop and catalogs.

White text and gold accent lines on black background.

Bohemia launched in 1905, becoming Mexico’s first premium beer. The name was inspired by the region on the Czech Republic, Bohemia, which served as a hub of industry around this time period. In 2016, Elmwood Brand Design rebranded Bohemia’s label and logo to maintain relevance in a changing society and to catch the eye of newer generations. The angle of the bottle label remained the same, but the font of the text and the Emperor figure were both altered to both make the appearance more modern while maintaining the core of the original design.

White text on red logo. Black text on green, white, and red background.

While the literal translation of “Viva el Cinco de Mayo” is “Live the 5th of May,” the Spanish phrase is a way to say, “Happy May 5th.” Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory in the Battle of Puebla against the French Army on May 5, 1862. At the time, Mexico owed money to European countries. After becoming Mexico’s 26th president, Benito Juarez declared that payments to foreign countries would be put temporarily on hold in order to give Mexico’s struggling economy and citizens time to recuperate financially. France, being one of the countries that was owed money, took advantage of the situation and sailed to Mexico with the intent to conquer and expand France’s colonial footprint over in the Americas. France, led by Napoleon III, had what was considered the strongest army in the world. Mexico’s victory in battle against that French Army is, to many, more pivotal in history than the date of Mexico’s actual independence in September.
Carta Blanca beer was first brewed in 1890 in Monterrey, Mexico. The Brewery Cuauhtemoc also makes Tecate, Bohemia, and other Mexican beers that were popular in both Mexico and the United States.

White text on black background.

Chihuahua Beer was a lager produced by the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery in Mexico. It is no longer in production.

From the mid-19th century through the early 20th century, many beers were produced regionally in Mexico having taken brewer notes from the Germans, Swiss, and Spanish who had come through the areas in the 100 years prior. Cerveceria Chihuahua, which would later become part of Cerveceria Moctezuma, was founded in 1896 in Chihuahua. Presumably, this lager gained enough popularity in the region and was marketed to the American audience during and after prohibition when Americans crossed the border to Mexico to consume alcohol.

Blue text and illustration on yellow background.

Corona Extra is a pale lager beer that is produced in Mexico by two different companies, Cerveceria Mexico and Constellation Brands. The beer was first produced in 1925. Since then, it has become the number one selling imported beer in the United States. Corona is notable for selling their product in clear glass bottles, while most other companies sell in darker bottles to prevent sunlight from interacting with the hops. Corona states that with the finest ingredients they have nothing to hide or spoil for light interaction.