The craft ale and beer scene has been on the rise for some time in Mexico, with Mexico City in particular taking much of the limelight when it comes to quality artisanal brews. All across the capital, bars and pubs are springing up and serving national beers that go beyond the standard Corona and Tecate brands, so if you’re a boozy traveller, you’ll find plenty to please you in the Mexican capital. Here are the top breweries and micro-breweries in Mexico City.
Cervecería Calavera
Cervecería Calavera is one of Mexico’s better known craft breweries, and produces some of the finest craft ales from its base just outside Mexico City, in Mexico State. OK, so it’s not technically in Mexico City, but it merits a spot on the list solely for its delicious Smoky Scottish Ale and Maquahuitl Black IPA, among other chocolatey- and chilli-infused brews. As you might imagine, they pride themselves on the uniqueness of their blends, so you can rest assured that each sip will be an experience.
Roma Norte is home to some of the best restaurants, bars and museums in Mexico City, and it also boasts the excellent microbrewery-cum-bar La Graciela. A small but perfectly formed spot, La Graciela serves up its home-brewed beers from the tap only, alongside a selection of other national craft ales – if you’re looking for a true introduction to Mexican beer, there’s no better place. You can also watch them create the brews in the small workshop.
Escollo, a small experimental brewery located in the Roma area of the city, is an independent gem for craft beer fans. While they also offer craft ales from around the world, we recommend their Escollo Blond, Pilsner or Porter, which can be accompanied by some of the mezcals or typical Mexican dishes that they also have on the menu. If you’re looking to visit one of the best microbreweries in the city that really does it all, this is the one.
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Crisanta
Craft Ale Bar, Pub Grub, $$$
Crisanta, supposedly named for a woman in love with Mexico who’d tell stories to her cats, is not just one of the capital’s coolest microbreweries, it’s also one of the best places to get your hands on some quality craft ales from across Mexico and the globe too. They produce eight different kinds of beer themselves, and serve up some 30 more, plus the staff are clearly well-versed in the craft ale process. If you arrange it in advance, they might give you a tour of the production area.
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Cerveza Cosaco, based in the Ajusco area of the capital, is a fantastic example of local craft beer from Mexico City done well. Although they don’t brew on as large a scale as some of their other craft beer competitors, this independent brewery still has a loyal following who enjoy the artificial preservative-, colorant- and flavouring-free ales it produces, using techniques influenced by beer-making giants in Belgium, England and Scotland. You can only find their unique recipe Cerveza Cosaco ales served on tap in bars throughout the city.
Cervecería Texcoco Mystic Ales is another microbrewery that’s actually situated just outside the official limits of Mexico City itself, in Mexico State. However, we think this is still worthy of inclusion as it offers such great quality, flavoursome brews that rank among some of the best in the country. While Cervecería Texcoc Mystic Ales only produces a handful of beers at the moment, such as the Agonía/Psicosis IPAs; Demencia, a black IPA; Báthory, a rich coffee stout; and finally, Exquizofrenia, a triple IPA, they’re worth hunting down in Mexico City.
