Corona Extra - Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.

    Corona Extra is an Adjunct Lager brewed by Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V. located in Mexico City, Mexico. Adjunct Lagers get their name from the adjunct grains used to cut costs in mass-production by replacing higher quality grains with cereal grains such as corn or rice.

    Corona Extra pours a light yellow color with a disappointing white foam which quickly dissipates into nothing.

    The beer itself smells slightly sweet from the malts, with a bit of a sour, corn-like scent. There is a slight hint of hops.

    Corona Extra is very light bodied, but not quite water-thin. The beer has a high level of carbonation which makes the beer seem more like a soda than a beer.

    The Lager tastes mildly of sweet malts. I was surprised to find that the beer actually does have a slight corn flavor. This corn mixed with the malt sweetness give the illusion that the beer contains corn syrup, which is very unpleasant. There is only the faintest hint of hops in the brew. With an alcohol content of 4.6% ABV, Corona Extra has absolutely no alcohol flavor or warmth.

    I find it surprising that all types of Coronas are bottled in clear glass bottles. It is a decently well known fact that sunlight damages beer and causes it to taste "skunky." When UV light hits some of the oils from hops a chemical is formed which is actually present in the defensive spray of skunks. This chemical causes a rotten, disgusting flavor in beers which are exposed to sunlight. This reaction is why most beers are bottled in brown or green glass. It is always a warning sign of a bad beer when it is bottled in clear glass.

    As is well known, the addition of a lime to the beer improves the flavor slightly, though that isn't exactly a plus for the beer itself. This is definitely a beer that should only be consumed when you can't drink the water, or after drinking numerous, better tasting, beers; if at all. To its credit, Corona Extra actually tastes better than a lot of the other mass produced macro brews on the market today, though that's not saying much.

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