What beer should you order at a Mexican Place?

In an earlier post I paired Sierra Nevada Glissade Bock with homemade Enchilada Casserole, but I pointed out a problem that I encounter often (as I love Mexican food): Mexican restaurants never seem to serve decent beer.

If you are lucky enough to be at a Mexican place that has a Pale Ale or Bock available, those are excellent choices for Mexican food and I would spring for them first. I have also had Sam Adams Boston Lager with Mexican food and the pairing was also quite nice and a good choice over standard Mexican restaurant beer options.

Now if you are in most Mexican places you are out of luck and have to choose between crappy American adjunct beers (i.e. Bud, Miller, Coors), Corona, Dos Equis, Modelo Especial, and Negra Modelo. Until this weekend, I had tried all of these except Negra Modelo and I have to say that they are all fairly similar.

Negra Modelo is my recommendation in the absence of craft beer choices. It is a Vienna lager, with a dark syrup-like transparent color and subtle lager maltiness and slight hop bight that makes for a more interesting flavor than these other Mexican beers. If Negra Modelo isn't available, I would go for Dos Equis or Modelo Especial next, as they at least have more flavor than Corona or the American Macros.