León - Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.

krazyboi

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 1.2 liter bottle into a 30 oz. glass mug.

A: Dark caramel color, with a bubbly head that dissipates very quickly, leaving no lacing.
S: Smells like a stereotypical adjunct lager. I instantly think of Budweiser when smelling this beer.
T: A very slightly roasted flavor with a certain metallic and bitter aftertaste.
M: Light bodied, low to medium carbonation, fairly smooth.
D: This beer is an interesting one for me. The color and the aroma don't match up too well. I was expecting more of a roasty aroma. This beer is very drinkable, especially at 4.5% ABV. Luckily, this beer was a gift from a buddy of mine who visited Cancun. Overall, a decent beer that will push me to try more dunkel lagers...

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 11:26:13 | More by krazyboi

2beerdogs

California

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

05-18-2013 14:05:58 | More by 2beerdogs

harpus

Alabama

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

04-04-2013 14:59:25 | More by harpus

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

January 30, 2013
Finally got to try a 355ml León bottle on our last full day in Zihuatanejo, a small corner bar at the corner of Avenidas Vicente Guerrero y Nicholas Bravo. 20 pesos - served from a fridge, I poured to a small glass and sat at a shady sidewalk counter facing the street.

4.5% - "Cerveza Negra"

A: Tawny/amber color, mostly clear. A 1/2 finger ivory head and plenty of rising carbonation. head fades somewhat quickly, but lace sticks around awhile, descending slowly while glistening in the backlit sunshine.

S: Sweet malty/cereal scent - grassy, doughy, some caramel.

T: Crisp 'apple' flavor and a pleasant 'baked bread' graininess. Starchy, nutty quality and good balanced sweetness.

M: Slightly effervescent, light-medium body.

O: Good flavors, clean and refreshing. Very easy to finish. Considerably more flavor than much of the standard 'light lagers' in Mexico, so it's an option for anyone looking to go beyond Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate and the like... pretty well done for the 'Dunkel Lager' style.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 16:33:25 | More by msubulldog25

jaimenavarrog

Mexico

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

01-18-2013 05:28:38 | More by jaimenavarrog

morfius85

2.25/5  rDev -28.3%

12-05-2012 05:11:35 | More by morfius85

WilliamAlbrecht

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +34.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I discovered Leon a few years back, and I must say that it is one of the top quality beers that is brewed by the Modelo company. I've had it in can form, on tap, and in bottle form. I had it at my wedding, and I truly think it's a blessing of a beer. I can't think of a lot of mexican beers that have a real good taste and feel to them like this one.

Appearance: The look of this beer varies from time to time I've found. On tap I've had up to a two inch head and a lot of beautiful lacing on a precious quality chalice. On can, you get the usual canned taste of beer--but a quality taste emanating from the type of brew you are drinking as well. On bottle I have had the most variant appearances of this beer. At times it's looked downright gorgeous, with a nice sized head and a delicious taste--and yet at times it's downright fizzled in the case of its head. Nevertheless--more often than not, this beer looks nice. Dark amber and beautiful to behold.

Smell: A rather sweet(not very bitter) aroma of maltiness immediately greets the nose! I can truly say I am pleased!

Taste: Delicious. A dark beer, but not too dark and not overpowering at all. On a beach somewhere, this is the beer you should see people drinking, instead of that GOD awful Corona!

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is certainly present, with a light taste to this beer, though not on the level of a LIGHT beer. Impressive taste and nice aftertaste.

Overall, I'd say that this is a beer I wish they'd import to the US. It's certainly better than Negra Modelo, much more superior to Corona, and a whole host of Mexican beers--which are usually not too impressive to begin with.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 05:16:25 | More by WilliamAlbrecht

flagmantho

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 355mL can into a cool Mexican goblet.

Appearance: medium brown hue with a haze-free body and a thin finger of frothy tan foam which didn't stick around too long. The color is beautiful, though.

Smell: caramelly, nutty malt aroma which is nonetheless not too sweet. Hop aroma is quite light but noble in character. Not bad at all.

Taste: nice malty flavor with a character which is not necessarily chocolatey or roasty but is definitely that of a dark beer; perhaps it's the deep caramel character. Bitterness and hop flavor are both low but certainly within the style. Now, I am partial to Mexican dark lagers, but this beer just rubs me the right way.

Mouthfeel: light body with a pretty big carbonation. Creaminess is good, if a bit too evanescent.

Overall: granted that any Mexican beer is in its element when sipped in high heat with the surf pounding in the background, this beer is still objectively tasty and highly drinkable. I forsee myself having a lot more of this.

Serving type: can

10-27-2012 19:07:25 | More by flagmantho

Jusse

Texas

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

10-11-2012 20:19:23 | More by Jusse

beerpadawan

California

1.75/5  rDev -44.3%

08-25-2012 19:28:13 | More by beerpadawan

Danobold

Texas

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

08-23-2012 20:36:35 | More by Danobold

bobojuice

3/5  rDev -4.5%

08-16-2012 17:02:07 | More by bobojuice

klmcmachen

Texas

2.95/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This beer was OK. It was very drinkable but not great. Something called Negra I was expecting a fuller taste. Other than my expectations, it was very smooth, and would be good for a casual drinker. It was very similar to Corona, but a little more malty.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 20:59:06 | More by klmcmachen

closisinthehouse

Florida

3/5  rDev -4.5%

07-29-2012 03:43:44 | More by closisinthehouse

ZachRusk

Ohio

3/5  rDev -4.5%

07-22-2012 18:28:09 | More by ZachRusk

NeverSettle

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +19.4%

07-12-2012 01:36:19 | More by NeverSettle

Xibalba

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -12.4%

06-17-2012 21:33:21 | More by Xibalba

zbooks

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

06-17-2012 05:06:15 | More by zbooks

stoutman

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear almost amber color with a smallish bubbly white head that dissipates quickly and leaves minimal lace. Wow there is something in the aroma here other than corn and hops! Darker malts may actually be present here. Sweet malty aroma gives some hints of caramel, and lightly toasted bread. Taste is malty and a little sweet with hints of caramel and cocoa. Very little if any hops are found in this brew. Light body, heavy level of carbonation, syrupy/watery mouthfeel. One of the better Mexican beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 14:20:16 | More by stoutman

hubster712

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +19.4%

05-23-2012 17:50:57 | More by hubster712

Douberd

Netherlands

2.05/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

ABV 4.5%
can, 355 ml.
It poured a light amber colour with head that disappeared straight away.
Nothing special on the aroma, almost non existent.
Taste, the same. Nothing traceable, nothing distinguishable.
Medium on the body and light carbonation.
This one is like your usual mexican beer with some drops of a colour agent, just to change its colour,nothing else. Really disappointed with this one, I was expecting much more taste.

Serving type: can

03-18-2012 06:07:15 | More by Douberd

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The final unique brew I tried while in Mexico.

A - Pours a golden amber colour, finger of head which quickly receds and leaves no lacing.

S - Mild, yet again, hints of burnt sugar, caramel dominates over sweet corn notes.

T - Taste is mild, dominated by the burnt sugar and caramel notes, though still competing with the sweet corn notes. Hints of grassy hops, but again rather mild given the style.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness on the finish.

O - Overall a bit of a disappointment, as I was expecting something a bit more flavourful given the strong recommendation by our server. Nonetheless, a drinkable ale and good for a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 03:58:30 | More by andrenaline

vr6corrado

California

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

02-16-2012 17:01:55 | More by vr6corrado

monnik

Texas

1.5/5  rDev -52.2%

02-16-2012 03:19:57 | More by monnik

bpackertx

Texas

3/5  rDev -4.5%

02-12-2012 16:26:18 | More by bpackertx