Cervecería Allende: transmitting the flavors of San Miguel de Allende to the world.

Published August 4th, 2022

According to official figures, the Mexican beer industry has a direct presence in 168 economic activities, standing out as one of the industries with the greatest national impact.

Among the vast range of beers produced in the country, for some years now a movement of independent or craft brewers has also been developing, who, driven by the innovation and originality of their recipes, are gaining ground for the category both nationally and internationally.

On the occasion of International Beer Day, it is worthwhile to give visibility to those craft breweries that, through unique recipes made with specific ingredients from each region, highlight the cultural richness of our country, projecting it to other parts of the world.

Cervecería Allende is one of the craft breweries that has been able to combine its love for Mexico with the commitment to offer a high-quality beer with all the capacity to be a reference in the domestic and foreign markets.

Rodrigo Moncada, founder of Cervecería Allende recalls its beginnings in 2014, when under the idea of expanding the craft beer category he and his partners decided to undertake this new adventure.

“Our philosophy is to introduce more public to the craft beer culture and show that the category has great potential for development in Mexico. We believe it is possible to transmit much of the cultural richness of our country and specifically of San Miguel de Allende through beer,” he says.

This is how Cervecería Allende created a special recipe that incorporates one of the most iconic elements of the country’s gastronomy and beverages: agave.

“Although it is common to incorporate various ingredients into beer, such as chocolate, coffee, or chili, we wanted to highlight a representative product of Mexico,” he explains.

“One of our beers is made with cooked Espadín agave from Guanajuato. We incorporate it in the boiling process to bring out the sugars much more, giving way to a unique beer of its kind with herbal notes and very refreshing,” he says.

With a brewing time of 21 days, resulting in a copper color reminiscent of baked agave and a smooth, balanced beverage ideal for all types of pairings, Cervecería Allende’s Agave Lager is one of the five styles of line they have on the market.

“Something we really like to emphasize is that our beers are refreshing. In addition to Agave Lager, we have a light lager, a light beer that is Golden Ale style, a dark beer that is Brown Ale, and an IPA that has been designed to accompany Mexicans on every occasion,” says Rodrigo Moncada.

They also produce two seasonal beers, such as a wheat beer for the summer and a Baltic Porter for the winter.

Love Mexico, in every beer

From production to bottling, Cervecería Allende conveys its pride in being part of the Mexican beer industry, which in economic and employment terms is the most important in the country.

For every peso of alcoholic beverages produced, 65 cents come from beer. But such production would not be possible without the value chains that begin in the countryside, where more than 5,000 farming families cultivate a little more than 300,000 hectares of barley per year.

In view of these figures, Rodrigo Moncada highlights the importance of recognizing the brewing industry for all its differentiating elements that give the country greater projection.

“It is essential that there be a differentiation in all areas between beer and other beverages with high alcohol content. Beer is not drunk at the same time, it is not consumed in the same way as spirits or distillates and its contributions to the economy, as well as the visibility it gives the country around the world, are far from what other categories have achieved.”

The importance and differentiation of Mexican beer are such that it continues to be an industry that registers investments despite the adverse economic context being experienced globally.

“Taking advantage of International Beer Day, we must echo all that beer represents for Mexico and Mexicans. It is an industry with great distribution strength that generates jobs at a national level and reaffirms through its production, its international leadership”, emphasizes Rodrigo Moncada.

Cervecería Allende is currently one of the main producers of craft beer. Its short-term plans include adding canned beers to its portfolio, increasing distribution in the center of the country, and expanding its presence in the United States, a market it entered a few years ago.