The Complete Guide to Mexican Beverages: Live with the Author

The author didn’t set out to write a book. He started building a database of Mexican drinks to plan travel and interview traditional producers, and realized no modern resource like this existed. What followed was years of tracing five centuries of history, from cactus wines and pulque to beer, cacao drinks, atole, and agua fresca. Half the book covers alcohol, half covers Mexico’s non-alcoholic traditions, and together they tell a much bigger story than tequila, mezcal, and Corona.

Along the way he found threads most people never hear about. Filipino distillers possibly shaping mezcal. German capital behind Mexican beer production. Spanish bakers helping found Corona. Beverages tied to Miguel Hidalgo’s revolt and the start of Mexican Independence. It’s a deep, well reported look at drinks that are still living traditions today, kept alive by the people making them and the curiosity of everyone drinking them.

Join us for a conversation with Nicolas Stevens to learn more about Mexican beverages.

Grab the book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/complete-guide-to-mexican-beverages-9798216389439/

Join us in person for CBP Connects Tampa
December 7-9, 2026
Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

What This Session Covers

This session explores the unexpected but rapid rise of Mexican beer from its early colonial brewing origins to becoming the largest malt beer exporter in the world. It highlights key historical, economic, and cultural factors shaping the Mexican beer industry today, offering craft brewery professionals insights into how global trade, colonization, indigenous traditions, and mega-breweries intertwine with Mexico’s beer scene. Understanding this context matters for taproom operators and brewery owners aiming to grasp both market dynamics and unique ingredient and flavor opportunities inspired by Mexico’s beverage heritage.

• [01:07] Introduction to Mexican beer origins and its global significance despite a late start in commercial brewing.
• [04:06] Economic transformation post-NAFTA fueling unprecedented beer export growth.
• [15:14] Historical beverage culture dominated by indigenous fermented drinks like pulque before industrial beer.
• [31:28] Modern-day craft brewing challenges within a duopoly market controlling 97% of beer sales.

Key Talking Points

• [01:16] First brewery in the Americas originated in Mexico (1542) — Despite popular belief about breweries in Manhattan, the first licensed brewery was between two volcanoes near Mexico City, but it operated less than 10 years before disappearing due to brewer death and colonial restrictions.
• [02:37] NAFTA’s critical role in Mexican beer exports — After signing in the mid-1990s, Mexico’s beer export value skyrocketed from under $0.5billionin1993tonearly$0.5billionin1993tonearly7 billion annually, surpassing traditional exporters like Germany and Belgium.
• [05:18] Three eras of Mexican beverage history:
  1. Pre-1542: Indigenous fermented corn-based drinks use germination and botanical bittering agents resembling beer techniques.
  2. 1542–1890: Little to no commercial beer due to Spanish mercantilist trade restrictions and preference for wine.
  3. 1890–present: Industrial brewing beginnings in northern Mexico, with growth fueled by infrastructure, stability under Porfirio Díaz, and vertical integration.
• [08:29] Indigenous fermented drinks like pulque and germinated corn beers share fermentation and preservation techniques with European malt beer but remained dominant until late 19th century due to colonial trade monopolies and cultural preferences.
• [11:06] Spain’s mercantile monopoly blocked beer imports and domestic wine production — Spain’s exclusive trade laws meant no beer imports and forbidding local viticulture, preserving Spanish wine monopoly and preventing local commercial beer industry development for centuries.
• [17:03] The founding of Cervecería Cuauhtémoc in Monterrey in 1890 marks the start of successful Mexican commercial beer — Local entrepreneurs, fueled by regional thirst, grew this brewery into an industrial hub that today is part of a powerful brewing conglomerate.
• [19:40] Beer overtakes pulque by volume within 50 years of industrial brewing’s start — Driven by beer’s hygienic, pasteurized image versus the rustic, “unclean” image of pulque and other indigenous drinks, aided by temperance movements and marketing positioning beer as healthy.
• [22:10] Duopoly dominance and global acquisitions: Cervecería Cuauhtémoc (now mostly Heineken-owned) and Cervecería Modelo (AB InBev-owned) control 97% of Mexican beer sales, illustrating how local beer production has become part of global conglomerates, raising questions about “Mexican beer” ownership.
• [31:36] Craft brewing represents only about 3% of Mexican domestic beer consumption — Despite increasing numbers of craft breweries, especially in Baja California near the US border, craft faces distribution barriers controlled by the duopoly, and prices can be five times higher than mainstream Mexican lagers.
• [38:34] Industrial breweries survived and thrived through Mexican Revolution by vertically integrating — Owning production of bottles, crates, transportation, and malt production secured their market dominance and allowed massive scale.
• [40:05] Pulque tasting notes: Sticky, syrupy, variable acidity depending on fermentation stage; best experienced outside Mexico City at fermentation houses (pinakales) in Hidalgo or Tlaxcala for authentic taste, versus often adulterated, flavored versions in urban bars.
• [42:22] The Mexican lager style evolved as a commercial choice — Not a traditional or indigenous style but rather a hygienic, clean, light-colored beer driven by consumer demand and export goals starting early 1900s, mostly made from imported malt and hops.
• [44:39] Beer consumption per capita has grown alongside soft drinks in Mexico — Mexico leads consumption of bottled beverages worldwide; traditional fermented drinks struggle economically amid dominance of industrial beer and sodas.
• [47:32] Leveraging Mexican indigenous and traditional beverage culture can inspire craft brewing innovation — Using native ingredients such as cacao, insects, and regional botanicals offers new adjunct opportunities with cultural storytelling weight.

Action Items

• [18:22] Research indigenous Mexican fermentations like pulque and germinated corn beers for flavor inspiration and authentic adjunct ideas in craft beer recipes.
• [34:28] Study Mexico’s vertical integration strategy from industrial brewing history for ideas on controlling key supply chain elements within your brewery to increase resilience and reduce costs.
• [31:36] Explore direct-to-consumer sales models like taprooms and brewpubs especially in competitive or duopoly-dominated markets to carve out space for craft beer without relying on restrictive distribution networks.
• [20:50] Highlight sanitation and quality in beer marketing, drawing lessons from how Mexican breweries won consumer trust over traditional fermented drinks.
• [47:58] Consider culturally respectful and informed storytelling around using native or traditional ingredients—connect craft products to the broader history and significance of those ingredients in Mexican beverages.
• [28:17] Build or consult resources on traditional beverage production methods to support education and preservation efforts, which can translate to unique brewery projects or collaborations with indigenous producers.
• [46:26] Monitor Mexican beer export trends and industry consolidation to anticipate global market shifts that might influence ingredient sourcing, collaborations, or export opportunities.

This session delivers actionable historical context and cultural insight to help brewery professionals understand how one of the world’s largest beer exporters emerged from a mix of indigenous traditions, restrictive colonial policies, and strategic industrial growth—revealing chances for innovation in craft brewing through ingredient diversity and market approaches.