Beer Review – Sol Mexican Beer – Cerveza Importada
Again, it has been a little while since my last beer review… this time I’ve been in a little town called Jamieson, which is about 3 hours drive north east of Melbourne. Jamieson is near Mount Buller – one of the well known ski mountains within striking distance of Melbourne – and it is a beautiful place set in the Australian bush. Lots of trees to sit under, fresh air to breathe, birds to watch and feed, rivers and streams to paddle and swim in, and more fresh air. It’s a wonderful place to hang out and do very little except relax (and partake of the occasional amber foaming frothy). Jamieson is also where my friend Rick and I recorded many of the nature sounds for our Relaxation Music …..
My father-in-law has a holiday house in Jamieson, which is a great place to stay. This holiday house has a ‘fridge. In that ‘fridge I put several “stock standard” cans of Melbourne Bitter and Victoria Bitter…. obviously some local beers….. which are, I guess, the staples of beers drinkers, at least in Melbourne / Victoria / Australia anyway. However – I digress……
Back to the beer review at hand – Sol – a Mexican Beer that appears to be exported around the world.
“Sol” is Spanish for “Sun” or “Sunny”, and this beer is certainly a light, sunny colour as are most Mexican beers. It looks like Mexican beer, it smells like Mexican beer, but I’m pleased to say it tastes much better than many other Mexican beers I’ve been lucky enough to sample.
Its clean, crisp, light taste was actually a nice surprise. I’m not a fan of some of the insipid beers that come from Mexico – the kind that need a wedge of lime squashed in the top, or some other kind of fruit additive. This Sol Mexican beer certainly didn’t need anything shoved down the neck of the bottle to improve its taste. It had a subtle taste – not strong, but certainly not weak – that actually left hints of “another one would be good…” at the back of my mouth. I suspect that if I had another bottle, I would have opened it too.
A quick search on the internet revealed that Sol Mexican Beer appears to have several “official” websites. The Australian Sol Beer websiteappears to be heavy on the “party with Sol” vibe, but surprisingly devoid of information about the beer itself. The UK Sol Beer website also is fancy with graphics, flash moving pictures, and other stuff, but again is not forthcoming with too much beer info…. however, the text below is copied from the Australian Sol website:
” Brewed in Mexico, Sol is an easy-to-drink beer with a smooth and refreshing flavour. It all started on a sunny Mexican morning in 1899…
On a clear sunny morning just outside Mexico City in 1899, in a little brewery called “El Salto de Agua” (“The Water Fall”), the sun’s rays creep over a brewing pot, inspiring the German brew master, to name his new beer “El Sol” – Spanish for “The Sun” At that moment, “El Sol” was launched as a beer for the working class – offering them a beer much more refreshing than the predominant heavy European-style beers of the time.
By 1924, “El Sol” – keeping its original design – is renamed simply “Sol” and begins its expansion into the national market, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico region. Despite a steady demand for its clear, smooth and refreshing character, Sol more-or-less remained a small regional brand until the early 90s…
In 1993, Sol underwent an aggressive national relaunch. The market conditions at the time assured Sol’s success, and by 1997, Sol was present in 90% of the Mexican market. On the back of its phenomenal rise on a national scale, Sol also began to achieve great success at an international level – most notably in Europe, where each year Sol expands and strengthens its market presence.
Today, Sol has gained the preference of consumers all around the world. Its refreshing image, its smooth and pleasant flavour and the world-wide meaning of its name has allowed Sol to conquer an important part of markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle-East and also right here in Australia. Much has changed since that sunny morning in 1899, but one thing that hasn’t is the need for Sol beer’s unique ice-cold refreshment.”
Interesting, as is the Wikipedia page about the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery – the makers of Sol Mexican Beer.
I enjoyed my bottle of Sol. I’ll happily give it a very good 8 out of 10 on the Forty Beers Cheers O Meter.
Ahhhh – the wonders of beer. I wonder what my next present opening and beer review will bring. I must admit that I am enjoying this Forty Beers gift !
Thanks,
Matthew – Beer Reviews , Beer Review ,
Tags: Beer Review, Lager, Mexican Beer
Beer Review Razorback Red Ale from Snowy Mountains Brewery in Australia.
It has been a long time between drinks here at FortyBeers.com – alas I have not had the time to sit and enjoy a nice birthday beer and do a beer review on it of late. My daughter has hurt her ankle on the trampoline, I’ve been busy doing (mostly boring) stuff, and enjoying good beer has not been an option in recent weeks.
But – I have now opened a Razorback Red Ale from Snowy Mountains Brewery in Australia.
And let me just say it was worth the wait.
As a beer review / enjoyer of beer type of guy, I have to agree with the label on this fine Ale – “For us, like you, it’s all about the beer“.
A dark, deep red colour, Razorback Red Ale is aptly named. With a slightly sweet aroma, and taste, it is certainly one of the better beers I have had 
the priviledge of drinking. Some beers, particularly those that advertise the fact that they use various fruits as this Razorback Red Ale does, are sickly sweet. However, Razorback Red Ale, I’m happy to say, is not one of those. While on the whole I’m not a fan of sweet beers (or wines for that matter), Razorback Red Ale only has a slightly sweet hint to it. It is actually a great Ale. With very few bubbles, it went down very nicely with the curry I had for my lunch immediately after I made the above video.
Again the label mentions that this is also a “Handcrafted Beer”. What actually is that ? I don’t know, but, what ever it is, it usually tastes good. I guess the put a lot of love, care, and attention into it’s creation, they probably put it in it’s fluffy pyjamas, then sing to it at night before tucking it up in a nice warm blankie. And the end result is well worth sampling.
“With a medium body, four malts in combination provide its rich malty sweetness along with its nutty and biscuit characteristics … and it’s the roasted malts used in the brew which give Razorback its deep copper-red hue. Forget the woollies, this is a wonderful winter warmer!“
The Snowy Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range – a long stretch of mountains that run from just north of Sydney, down and across to just north of Melbourne along the east coast of Australia. Razorback Red Ale takes it’s name from a particular ridge in the Kosciuszko National Park. Mt Kosciuszko (pronounced “Koz-i-oss-co”) is the tallest mountain in Australia, and is a spectacularly beautiful part of the world. The bushland, the natural rivers and streams, the snow ski-ing, the camping and hiking, are all attractions to this part of the world. If you get the chance, and you are into nature, it is well worth a visit.
Also, if you get the chance, seek out Razorback Red Ale – it too is well worth the effort.
I’ll give it a perfectly respectable 8 out of 10 on the Forty Beers Cheers O Meter.
Thanks,
Matthew – Beer Reviews , Beer Review ,
Tags: Ale, Australian Beer
Beer – Interesting Facts 7
Beer was often served for breakfast in medieval England.
Thanks, Matthew – FortyBeers.com
More Interesting Beer Facts can be found here.
Tags: Beer Facts
Beer Review SheepShaggers Gold from Cairngorm Brewery in Scotland.
As mentioned in my video beer review, with a name like “Sheep Shaggers” I suspect that my G rating for this blog might be under threat. When Mary had her little lamb, I certainly hope the Cairngorm Brewery guys weren’t watching.
I guess that is the risk that I have to deal with, given that my beer review filming is all done on the one and only take…. each beer I open is a total surprise to me, and let me just say that reading the label SheepShaggers Gold was quite a surprise indeed.
Now that my initial embarassment has worn off, I am happy to report that this beer from those wacky (and perhaps a little sheepish) funsters in Cairngorm, Scotland, is very good.
To quote from the label:
” A light golden almost lager style beer with a gentle malt flavour. The variety of hops creates a subtle bitterness subsiding to a smooth flavour and aroma. The Best Beer Baa NONE ! “
Baa none indeed. I don’t know about THE best, but it’s certainly up there. This is probably because being brewed in the highlands of Scotland (where the men are obviously men, and the sheep are obviously nervous), the water is probably quite pure, the barley, wheat and hops are probably angelic, and the brewers have got just a little bit too much time on their hands. there is certainly not a trace of Sheep Juice at all – SheepShaggers Gold is chock-o-block full of beery goodness.
A delicious nose accompanies this beer, and the taste is fresh with just a hint of bitterness. Not too strong, and not pale nor weak – as Goldilocks might say “it’s just right”. There – does that get my G rating back ?
A 500 millilitre (half a litre, or 16.9 US Fluid Ounces, or 17.6 UK Fluid Ounces) bottle is a good deal larger than most standard “stubbies”, which for a thirsty bloke such as myself makes for a welcome treat.
Is Scotland known for it’s beer making around the world ? This humble Aussie must confess that he’s never actually heard of any international Scottish brands, or at least I can’t remember or think of any…. presumably there are some other examples of fine Highland Ales with less politically incorrect names ?
This SheepShaggers Gold gets an excellent 8.5 out of 10 on the Forty Beers Cheers O Meter. It should have been a 9 given the great taste and big bottle, but it lost half a point for the unfortunate mental imagery.
Baaaaaaa.
Matthew – Beer Reviews , Beer Review , three bags full.
P.S. Happy Birthday to Chris, who was one of three main contributors to my Forty Beers 
Tags: Beer Review, Lager, Scottish Beer, Wheat Beer
