Modelo Especial - Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Amarillo dorado with a few dozen fat bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass before breaking free to rush up to the cream colored cap. And a nice looking cap it is too. Unlike most American macro lagers, the foam has some character and doesn't deflate within the first few minutes. It doesn't look as if much lace will stick, but the clarity of the beer and the stick-to-it-iveness of the head make up for it.

I always worry about clear glass bottles. Sure enough, the unmistakable aroma of skunk greeted me on cap popping. Like usual, the nastiness pretty much disappeared by the time I got around to assessing the aroma in earnest. Corny grain, musky hops... you know the drill.

Modelo Especial tastes like a macro lager; albeit a more sweet, less bitter, not really all that offensive one. I'll say one thing for corn, at least it provides more flavor and sweetness than rice. It may not be my favorite adjunct, but it's the lesser of two evils when it comes to cheap, tossbackable brews.

Like most versions, there's no spark on the palate, nothing that causes me to look forward to the next sip or the next bottle. Having said that, given the fact that there's no trace of overt offensiveness, it's clearly superior to just about anything coming out of the tanks at A-B. I've never had ME before today, but I imagine that it would be a Mexican food washer-downer por excelencia.

The body is light on a good day and doesn't have a whole lot to recommend it. Still though, it never descends into wateriness and never loses the moderate degree of carbonation that it starts out with. It may be average in terms of mouthfeel, but at least it's committed, dammit!

This is okay beer. The lack of any truly horrifying characteristics, the light sweetness and the easygoing drinkability have grown on me over the course of the bottle. I'll have no trouble ordering up a Modelo Especial the next time I get a hankerin' for a chili relleno.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2006 13:41:46 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.38/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Again the boy should be banned from bringing back mixed sixers from food lion, lol. By far the worst selection I have ever been presented with, consumed on 08/08/2010.

The pour was actually decent with a nice mellow and light amber color that had a small head of white that actually stayed around for a good long while.

Again with the super light aroma, light malted grain, corn, hints of lots of bready notes, nothing really coming at me that I really enjoyed, just seems a bit too bland. Clean taste, too clean as there was really nothing left of it after a few moments, other then the fading musky flavor from the start.

Overall it could have been worse, but damn, unless it was a smokin hot day and this was all I had I would pass.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 01:13:34 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.1/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: The pour is a clear golden straw color with a white head that has almost zero retention.

S: Sweet corn and apple juice is what the nose is all about. A slight grassiness with a touch of sweet grain. Luckily the can has protected this one from any skunking.

T: Quite a bit of grain flavor along with the corn. There is a touch of rice and some of the apple juice sweetness that I get in many adjunct laden lagers. Almost no bitterness or hop character.

M: Light in body with a moderate to high carbonation.

O: As with so many of these beers, this really isn't that bad, but it's just not all that flavorful or interesting. It just doesn't make me want to drink it again.

Serving type: can

03-24-2011 22:43:02 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured into a pint glass. Pours a very light yellow color with a lot of visible carbonation. Both the nose and the flavor are seemingly one in the same. Luckily this strays away from a lot of the skunky flavors that plague this style, especially when placed into a clear glass bottle. There is just a touch of light grain husks and not much else. Decent enough brew and definitely better than others from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 04:52:43 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.65/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle for $1.79 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, delightfully golden body with a foamy, white head.

Smell: Lightly skunked nose with notes of grain husks and cooked corn.

Taste: Husky grains and maize with a light cereal sweetness. Tiny, tiny bit of sourness. Light hop bitterness is sufficient enough to give this beer a dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, but thankfully lacks the wateriness of its brethren. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: No outright hideous, but, if you find yourself in a Mexican restaurant and need a beer, I'd sooner reach for a Negra Modelo.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 01:00:39 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal clear light yellow with a 1 inch puffy white head that fades to a thin film on the top of the beer. No lacing on this beer on the drink down. Smell is of grain/corn and some fruity notes. Taste is of grains and corn with some pretty good fruity flavors. A mild bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a crisp and clean mouthfeel with a pretty good level of carbonation. Overall, this is a pretty average beer but not that bad all around compared to other stuff on the market.

Serving type: can

10-30-2011 10:19:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.8/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Eeh, it's beer... I guess. Not a lot here to brag about, other than it is what is expected from South-of-the-boarder beers. Thirst quenching, carbonated, lightly flavored, and low on the quality. This beer contributes a pungent hop aroma that showm mostly earthiness, but also skunkiness. Tastes are a mix of pilsner malts and corn. The beer fades quickly, just before becomming oily and sweet-heavy late. Sub-par on many fronts.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2007 17:00:53 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear, surprisingly dark golden body beneath a frothy head of white that holds well and leaves some nice lace about the glass.

The nose is clean (unless you've got a bottle that's been skunked) and expresses grainy malt with a background waft of hop.

It's mildly crisp in the mouth with a medium body.

The flavor is exactly as the nose indicates with grainy, bready malt dominating but balanced by a smear of non-descript hops and a firm bitterness. The balance could be better, but it's OK.

It finishes clean and dry with some short-lived hops and then some residual maltiness left on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2006 23:16:29 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.23/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in a flared pokal at Bliss.

Another light Mexican offering during this Cinco de Mayo tasting. It pours a clear sallow topped by a finger of short-lived white foam. The nose comprises rice, light sweetness (a very vague example of the phenomenon), bad wheat, and burnt puffed rice. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a healthy dose of hard water. The body is rather light, with a moderate carbonation and a watery feel. Overall, a kinda pitiful brew, one I can't see ever drinking again voluntarily.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 21:53:51 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

2.45/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Into my finest chalice, I discharge the contents of the bottle...etc., etc., blah, blah...

Clear, pale yellow, rudimentary rings of suds above.

Smell... like beer. A little dry. Rather plain. Insipid.

Drink it: ...wetness, then dry. Perfect lack of flavor. It's there and it's gone, and it leaves nothing behind.
But, it isn't horrible or offensive.... just completely lacks taste.

There's worse things you can toss past your throat. But I don't recommend them.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2009 09:30:35 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.65/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a gold color with a thick frothy white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light, grainy pale malt scent with a slight sweetness and a dry lager yeast aroma. The taste is decent as well. It has a clean and crisp pale malt flavor that is light and easy drinking. It goes down easy and finishes dry and thin with a slight metallic taste. This has more malt flavor than most lagers from south of the border, although it's still simplistic in nature. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a good macro lager. It has a decent malt flavor that is light and easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2005 01:11:42 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.13/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is an average lager, but only ever get it in the can. I've had the bottle (clear glass) and it was N-A-S-T-Y. The can is fine. Light yellow and completely clear, moderate carbonation with a thin and diffuse head. No smell to speak of except for that faint, beer-ish smell of dilute grain water. No aftertaste to speak of, no lacing on the glass, drinks easy. Not offensive, no diacyl taste. Its not terrible, just mild and uninteresting.

Serving type: can

08-22-2009 01:21:16 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is grain and corn. Pretty bland but not skunky like I expected since it came in a clear bottle. The flavor is grain, wheat and grassy hops with a tad bit of lemon. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not great, but compared to a lot of Mexican lagers, this beer is pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 04:44:28 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

2.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Poured out a crystal clear, bubbly, golden yellow color with a fizzy, small, white head. It dissipated quickly and left little to no lace.

S - It smelled sweet and of corn. Not much else there.

T - It tasted sweet and pilsener-like. Light grassiness lead one to believe there are some hops in here. Overall, the taste is not offensive, but it's not great.

M - It was very crisp and sharp. A light to medium-bodied lager.

D - This is an okay lager. I've seen it listed as a Vienna Lager in a book, but the color and lack of maltiness makes me think this site has the correct style.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 02:31:56 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

2.83/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that quickly died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of corn and grainy malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has initial flavors of corn (and hints of sweetness) followed by notes of grainy malts and a light amount of hop bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied (but not really watery) on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and isn't really that bad when compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 22:53:29 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.8/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz. can into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color with a short white head that fades very quickly and leaves a very little lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts and adjuncts, maybe a little bit of apple which seemed a bit odd for the style. It seemed to be sweet & sour.

T: The taste is maltier than most macros but doesn’t taste as sweet as it smells, with flavors of corn and other adjuncts along with a little bit of hops. The after-taste is bready and slightly sweet.

M: A little smooth and not very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.

D: Although it’s better than Corona, it’s not very tasty, goes down ok, not filling at all. It’s a decent macro, but nothing exciting.

Serving type: can

05-10-2007 01:03:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

1.75/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Nothing overly impressive here. The beer was a yellowish golden color with a little bit of head that lasted until you take your first sip then it disappears. There isn't much of anything to say. It smells of malts not much hop aroma. You can probably avoid this beer is you're looking for something more exotic.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 04:11:56 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

3.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

24 oz. can,

A: Your average pale lager, with a head which looks good at first, but which dissipates quickly.

S: Some fragrant corn notes, and a bit of malt and hops.

T: A good corn lager, not overly sweet, light and to the point, your average Mexican lager, though it doesn't need a lime.

M: Pretty good for your average macro lager, some good full body carbonation, light and easy to drink.

D: Better than your average Mexican lager, not a great beer, but great to drink in the hot sun.

Serving type: can

09-04-2007 05:42:36 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Straight out of the fridge into a pint glass. Loose network of bubbles, pretty fizzy. Foam rapidly fades away to nothing, leaving a yellow gold liquid with a thin ring on the surface.

Smells nondescript, light husky grain, straw.

Taste is similarly nondescript, dry and crackery, seltzery fizz. Vague bitterness in the aftertaste, yet no hop flavor to report. Pretty clean, though there was a faint metallic hint. Factory fresh and utilitarian. Use it to wash down some fiery hot Mexican cuisine, or to cool down after mowing the yard.

Serving type: can

01-21-2011 04:20:48 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. can - no freshness date, but recently purchased.
Poured gold with little carbonation and a very thin fizzly head that disappeared within seconds. No lacing was left.
The smell was thin - some hints and mild hops and sweet malt. Nothing offensive - relatively clean for style.
It was fairly well-balanced. Some sweet malt intermingled with some mild hops and plenty of water - though the water was not too prominent for the style. A touch of salt emerged as the drink progressed. Not too bad of a taste from a macro lager from Mexico.
The feel was fairly clean - left a touch of sweetness. It went down relatively easy. Not too bad as a complement to a spicy meal or to cool off on a hot day - Above average for lagers from Mexico (have had quite a few, and have been mostly unimpressed, but this isn't bad.) In the end, nothing great though, and I don't know if it's worth the extra money unless, possibly, for some sort of Mexican party or meal.

Serving type: can

07-24-2006 16:26:10 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A can served in a glass at dinner at La Palma in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, MX.

A: The lager beer is a golden straw color, crystal clear with a sizeable foamy head that didn't lace (thanks to the lime that came with the glass).

S: The nose is mild, malty sweet with an adjunct strength.

T: It's funny how certain beers fit into certain situations. At home, I'd poo-poo this beer. But in Mexico? Liquid gold as I overlook sunset on the Pacific. Malt and adjuncts are dominant, sweet and creamy in the body. A low dose of hops add balance.

M: Creamy, lightened by the adjuncts, I had two cans. A refreshing yet light drink.

D: A good start to the week in Mexico. The right beer for the right circumstances.

Serving type: can

01-17-2010 14:30:20 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not half bad for a macro lager. This hangs with the best of the macros, PBR comes to mind, with mellow sweet flavor and light barley finish. That finish that actually tastes like grains in a good way is what surprised me and kept me from writing this off. Pair with food or a hot day.

Serving type: can

03-21-2007 02:29:42 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

1.27/5  rDev -55.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Pale yellow straw golden body with a wispy thin white head. Fine speckled lacing lines the sides of my pint glass. Aroma has cooked veggies/pale malt/corn sweetness. Flavor is sweet with a harsh finish not very crisp alot of DME. Cooked corn/somewhat metallic finish. This is a bad beer but not as bad from the clear bottles with a lime. Straight up from a can this beer is pretty much one of the worst of I've come across. Mouthfeel is fizzy carbonated water texture with nothing redeeming about it. Drinkability sucks, cover it up with lime or just go with Negra Modelo.

Serving type: can

01-18-2011 01:44:33 | More by WVbeergeek

Wasatch

Utah

2.45/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a light yellow color, nice carbonation, small white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some hops, slight caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, slight hop note. Light body. Not drinkable, would not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 20:02:11 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

(Served in a strange)

A- This beer pours a crystal clear pale golden-yellow body with huge bubbles of carbonation racing to the surface. There is a big bubbly white head that is gone almost as soon as I set the beer on the bar.

S- The soft green note has hints of raw grain and a faint apple note to the hops at the finish. The smell of field corn comes through when the beer warms a bit.

T- This beer has a soft field corn note with a slight sweetness to it and a soft watery finish with a hint of bitterness. The bitterness is not distinctly hops but does have a very faint sulfur dryness to it. There is a light corn note that lingers after the finish.

M- This beer has as light mouthfeel with a slight watery texture.

D- This beer is very much like a flavored water. All the flavors are light and non offensive, and I bet on a 100 degree day this would be very thirst quenching, but then again so would a glass if ice water.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2008 21:54:20 | More by rhoadsrage