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Look, when you talk about Corona, everyone knows what beer you're talking about. It's like when you order a Sam Adams, you mean the Boston Lager. Yes, I have personally reviewed... 39 freaking Sam Adams beers, but you can order a "Sam Adams" and get a familiar beer that is not the confusing Citrus Ale or the uniquely expensive and elusive Utopias. Similarly, Corona is a particular beer, and I am just now seeing that I never did a review of it. I will rectify that in the near future.
The beer pours possibly a tad darker than most Mexican lagers. Actually, it is definitely darker. The head isn't particularly voluminous, but I wouldn't have expected a ton of head from one of these. The naked top maintains a ring around the sides, and that's plenty. The aroma is that bright, snappy malt that is clearly going to bring sweetness to what will otherwise be a beverage that concentrates on quenching thirst (that is to say, watery).
First sip is, as the title says, familiar. It may have a bit more of a hop bitterness about it than most Mexican beers, but the malt is very similar to a beer that has used rice, but it's not rice. I don't know what is special about either the malt or the yeast that Mexican lagers use, but they are very similar across brands, and this is one of them. Is this better? Well, better than most, probably. It has a fuller flavor profile than I expected, but that fullness is just less water than I am used to with these.
Tip-in is sweet caramel malt with what I think is more of a corn sweetness. The middle brings flowers into the mix, and they pair nicely with the malt to really tamp down the watery nature so many of these lean into. The finish is a dose of bitterness as the crisp malt cut-off sends sweet corn and maybe even a hint of banana into the trail off.
Bottom Line: Solid. Plain and simple.
3.5/5
