Elevate Your Taco Night By Ignoring This Mexican Beer Myth

Authentic Mexican tacos go hand in hand with authentic Mexican beer, right? This is definitely a prevailing notion out there, with a refreshing Mexican lager such as Corona often accompanying a beautiful plate of tacos. But what if you were told that this isn't actually the ideal combo? Before you start throwing around claims of heresy, hear us out: your tacos can be elevated even more if you branch out beyond the standard Mexican lager.

There are a good deal of cliché beer myths that need to be dealt with, one of them being this idea that Mexican lager is the only "correct" beer option when eating tacos. This idea seems to stem from the philosophy of pairing food and drink based on region, so Mexican lager might seem like the right choice by default. But a quick search into Mexico's brewing history reveals that Mexican lager is an inherited tradition from German and Austrian brewers who brought their trade to North America. Nowadays, of course, tacos and Mexican lager share a place of origin, and are wildly popular in the United States, but they didn't originate from the same tradition. As such, don't feel beholden to Mexican lager next time you have some authentic tacos — branch out and see where these newfound flavors take you.

If you take away Mexican lager, then you're left with a pretty open field. After all, there are many different ways you can dress up your tacos, and likewise, there are many different beers that you can pair with said tacos. That said, there are still some types of beer that emerge as favorites to drink alongside your tacos, depending on what kind of meat (if any) features in your dish. The main thing to take note of here is that, while Mexican lagers are pretty neutral and provide little more than a palate reset when you're eating tacos, these other options feature strong characteristics all on their own, making them more interesting complements to your tacos.

Fruit and citrus work rather nicely with tacos, so you can aim for beers with these qualities. A Belgian ale, Hefeweizen, or Weissbier will all serve you well here. Alternatively, you might be looking for something with more of a malty/roasted quality. In this case, pilsners and brown ales might be the beers for you. IPAs, APAs, and British-style ales are all solid options too, especially if you're eating fish tacos, where you can take inspiration from how to pair beer with fish and chips. There's a veritable world of options out there, but any of these will give you much more for your palate to consider than the standard pairing ever will.