The Last IPA in Mexico

Random Pic: sunrise over Banderas Bay

12-15-12 – Punta de Mita, MX

People who knew us in our past life in Reno, NV will recall how we occasionally (ok about twice a week) enjoyed going to the local brewery for some tasty and interesting beers.  Drinking good beers was one thing we really enjoyed.  I don’t mean Sam Adams or Budweiser.  I am talking about craft beers that have great flavors, are interesting to drink and more than anything have a great aroma; ie. lots of hops.  Well that apparently does not exist in Mexico.  I don’t really understand the beverage companies here in Mexico and who owns who so I’m mostly making this up.  I believe Tecate and Pacifico have bought up all brewing rights in Mexico, oh and of course the worst of all Corona and, eeeww, Corona Light.  The standard offering at most places we have been is Pacifico and Corona.  Now admittedly we don’t frequent high end restaurants and haven’t traveled to big metropolis’ like Mexico City where I’m sure you could get anything you want.  Here on the Pacific coast it’s Pacifico and Corona.  Needless to say out of default Pacifico is my new favorite beer.  There is always Negro Modelo which is pretty good, and a holiday offering called Noche Buena which I would actually say is worth drinking.  It’s just hard to find, especially at little beach palapa restaurants.  We have only found it in huge Walmartish stores called Mega.  So you can say we are a little good beer deficient down here.
That leads us to the last IPA in Mexico.  The other day Elizabeth, who is actually the IPA lover in the family, was searching in one of the many lockers of the boat for some snorkel gear. 

Diversion from the story: (FYI for non-beer people IPA is India Pale Ale, it has a lot of hops in it, the stuff that makes good beer smell good)  Boat types know that the lockers and compartments in your boat hold many treasures.  It’s not like your house where the food goes in one cupboard and the soccer ball goes in another.  Everything has a habit of going in the locker with enough space irregardless of what is already in there.  We have a beverage locker, that is pathetically empty, that also contains our snorkels and fins, a wind scoop and a bosun's chair, a beach ball and 2 squirt guns. 

E couldn't be happier!

I was on deck and heard a little squeal and thought “oh no, we have cockroaches”  Cockroaches are hard to see and they are the kind of thing you would discover when digging around in a dark locker.  I rushed downstairs to find out it was a squeal of excitement not terror.  Elizabeth was holding a single bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo.  A commercial version of a pretty good IPA.  (Nowhere near as good as an Icky!)  It immediately went into the freezer (which is a little colder than the refrigerator which is a little colder than the air temperature on our boat) Later that night we opened it and she even allowed me to smell it briefly before she enjoyed it with a nice sunset over Banderas Bay.

Sunset over Banderas Bay