Beer Of The Week: Ay Caramba, It's Corona!

In case you haven't noticed, I've added a new label to the blog titled: Tipsy-Turvy, which of course, is the name of my regular alcoholic column in the newspaper. In addition to that, I'm starting a new 'Beer Of the Week' label where I'll choose a beer, any beer, and tokkok about it, just for the heck of it. Heh heh.

To kick things off, here's a beer that's always been close to my heart - Corona Extra.



You see, way way way way back when I didn't know better, and before there was Hoegaarden, Stella, or even Kilkenny; there was Corona. It's the only imported beer I seem to remember being available back then (correct me if I'm wrong), and I used to snub Tiger and Carlsberg just so I could be seen as 'cool' drinking Corona. That, plus the lemon in the beer always made it a great conversation starter with the girls hur hur hur.

Of course, later I found out that Corona isn't exactly a premium brand even in Mexico, and my American brother-in-law even laughed at me mockingly once when I ordered a Corona in front of him. Deep even calls it Mexican Donkey Piss. HMPH.

Anyway, a few days ago, I was invited to check out a Cinco De Mayo (Fifth of May) celebration at Las Carretas restaurant in Ampang, where the sponsored beer was of course, Corona.

This was a good chance for me to go back to a beer I once loved after trying so many other beers, and finding out once and for all why exactly I liked it so much.

And no, it's not because of the hot promoter girls:



Anyway, armed with my new *ahem* discerning beer palette, I realized that on its own, Corona is actually pretty bland and tastes just like any other lager. In fact, I'd even venture to say it's even weaker than Budweiser, and that's saying a lot. I don't even know why I liked it last time (hey, I was young and naive back then).

So what makes it so special then? Well, if you asked me, I'd say it's the lemon/lime slice that they always put inside the bottle:



Like Kenhynn of Beer Beer says, Corona is pretty pointless without the lemon or lime. Without it, it tastes bland and forgettable. But WITH it, the combination of the lemon and the beer makes for a refreshing, tangy and pretty cool drink. Of course, you could argue that you can add the lemon to ANY lager and it'll taste the same, but I suppose it just ain't the same if it ain't drunk from the Corona's clear bottle.

Oh, if you have some tequila lying around, you can use it in a submarine:



I've blogged about How to Make A Submarine a LONG LONG time ago, so go see how exactly it's made and how to drink it. And no, it's more than just dunking a shot of tequila into it and downing the whole thing. Now THIS it for me, the BEST way to drink a Corona, heh heh.

I suppose if forced to choose between Corona and the usual Tigers or Carlsbergs, I would still go for a Corona, though probably more for sentimental reasons than anything else. It IS a pretty refreshing beer, though like I said, make sure you get the lemon, or it's pretty much pointless.


Mexican LL Approves!