Port City Brewing Company dropped their Mexican Dark Lager from their rotating lager series this year, and this one hurts. Negra Modelo is my go-to at any Mex- or Tex-Mex restaurant, so I welcomed a craft take on the style.
The replacement is Chela, a Mexican-style light lager, and it’s our beer of the month for April with The Brew Shop in Arlington. In a first for Port City, this beer has corn in it. Hard to believe that in their 15+ year existence, Port City has never used corn in a beer, until now.
“We sampled about 7 different Mexican light lagers, both micro and macro, and decided which tasting notes we liked best to emulate,” Director of Brewing Operations Adam Reza tells us. “It was cool to see how wildly different each one of them is. Joaq Llaguno, one of our brewers here, created a blueprint for what he wanted Chela to look like. The brewers sat down with that recipe and tweaked it slightly to create the beer you can enjoy now.”
Chela was lagered for about 6 weeks and is 4% alcohol by volume, making it one of the smaller beers in the Port City lineup. At 10 International Bitterness Units, you won’t pick up too much from the Saaz and Tettanger hops added to the boil; this is designed to be a crusher. “This is the first time PCBC has used maize in any of our beers. We used about 11%, which allowed the corn to be present without being overwhelming. No one wants a cooked corn beer unless they’re drinking Rolling Rock,” adds Reza.
Pair it with with some delicious La Tingeria tacos at the brewery, or swing by The Brew Shop and take home a 4-pack. DC Beer Patreon members get 10% off Chela this month, and if you like it please let Port City know. I wouldn’t object to dueling light and dark Mexican-style lagers in their portfolio come this time next year. Cheers!
