Casta Morena: an ale from Mexico!
Jun 06 '01 (Updated Jun 14 '01)
The Bottom Line What the brewers call a Scottish-accented dark ale, resembles an English brown, or Belgian dark ale. A real surprise coming from Mexico. Rating: 5 Stars
Having subscribed to Michael Jackson’s Real Beer Tour a few months ago, I have since received 5 different beers and reviewed none. My first reason is that members of epinions may never find these beers, and as the “hard-to-find beers” section is unorganized would neither be found by non-members. Therefore I did not see any real usefulness in posting. However they have now suspended the “beer of the month” club category, so I felt that by posting here I could make a few more members aware of where to find more unusual brews. So I will be reviewing all the beers I received eventually.
The first I will write about is something unique as it comes from Mexico. Why would I join a beer club that sends me beer from Mexico, you may ask. Well when you finish reading this review you’ll understand how Mr. Jackson has a knack of picking up real gems that we might otherwise never hear of.
The Mexican Brew Scene
Mexican’s have witnessed a variety of influences on their brewing scene, with the Spanish conquest, followed by a brief Austrian rule, then immigrants from Switzerland, Alsace, and Germany.
With these immigrants came the introduction of lager, which as you should know is pretty much what the Mexican scene is all about. The industry is even more monopolized than the US market, with almost all beer being produced by two breweries. The biggest is Modelo, partly owned by Anheuser-Busch, and responsible for Corona, as well as the better-acclaimed Negra Modelo. The other company is Cuauhtémoc, which brews Tecate and Bohemia.
The Casta Brewery
Casta was founded in 1999, by a trio that included two descendants of the family who had founded the Cuauhtémoc brewery, as well as a homebrew enthusiast. One member had previous industry knowledge through the Goose Island microbrewery in Chicago, with another being a homebrew specialist.
The brewery is based in a 35-hectoliter facility in Monterrey, and quite surprisingly brews ales. The name Casta, as Michael Jackson comments, translates as “pure” or “pedigree” and could relate to either the ales or the family tradition.
Another point to note is the abstract artistry in the label design, which is no surprise when you hear that the marketing guy is an art collector. The label on Casta Morena bears a painting of a frog balancing bottles and glasses like a circus performer, which is the work of a contemporary Mexican artist, Francisco Toledo.
Casta Moreno – The Technical Stuff
“Dark ale with a smooth, rich roasted malt flavor and noble hop aroma.”
Inspired by Scottish ales.
Malt: carapils, crystal, chocolate.
Hops: East Kent Goldings, Styrians.
ABV: 6%.
Tasting Notes
The beer pours to an impressive chestnut (took me a while to think of that one) brown color, with a more than adequate tan foam. In fact the beer is fairly foamy at first and I was taken a little by surprise.
The nose is very malty, with some fruitiness that I would probably call raisin-like. The hops are only slightly noticeable, with a little spiciness. There’s a wonderfully smooth palate, balanced with a little carbonation. It starts out very malty, just as I expected, with a deep fruity mix of raisins and maybe prunes, while the middle has something of a lighter apple flavor. You feel the alcohol towards the end, and there’s a slight citric acidity in the finish although not particularly strong, as well as some dryness.
The beer rounds out very well, with a well-maintained and balanced aftertaste that brings in signs of the chocolate malt, and also notes the roasted malt a little more clearly.
Verdict
This is a very impressive ale, with a great mix of characteristics for its style, whatever that style in fact may be. I would start out by describing it as a brown ale at base, a little like a Newcastle, but it even had a bit of a Belgian ale feel to it towards the end. It’s certainly the kind of beer you want to sip and play around with for a while. I’m very grateful to have received 12 of these, as every time I try one I get a slightly different experience. I certainly couldn’t call it predictable, unlike most of what comes from Mexico.
Amongst my friends this one is has been met with unanimous approval. I would insist that any real ale fan should give it a try, you may be surprised about what Mexico can achieve, although if you read this review I probably spoiled the surprise.
The Future
As my final word, I have to speculate on the future of this beer. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before this one is made more widely available in the American market, and microbrew fans will love it. It’s hard to predict the beer’s future in a hot, lager-consuming market, such as Mexico. This beer is better suited to colder weather. That shouldn’t be a problem though as Samuel Smith manages to produce most of its ales primarily based on US demand.
Availability
All Michael Jackson’s previous shipments may be purchased at his website with a discounted rate for members. Please visit my website for information on this, as well as other beer clubs.
http://worldofbrews.tripod.com
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