The Absolute Best Beer To Make Micheladas

When it is warm outside and you are craving something refreshing and zippy, a michelada may be calling your name. This decidedly lighter take on a bloody Mary involves beer, lime juice, salt, hot sauce, and a few additional savory ingredients. Part of the beauty of a michelada is that it can be easily tailored to suit your spicy, salty, or umami preference levels. Chowhound spoke exclusively to Marek Trocha, the beverage director at the Artesano Group, to get the inside scoop on which beer is the best for making the perfect michelada. 

"We always recommend using a light Mexican lager like Modelo Especial, Pacifico, or Victoria," Trocha says. "These beers offer a crisp, clean taste that effectively balances the acidity of the lime, the spice of the hot sauce, and the saltiness of the rim, without overpowering the drink." He emphasizes the importance of choosing a beer that is refreshing in order to complement the bold flavors of the cocktail.

Marek Trocha also peeled back the curtain to share the ideal michelada ratios for replication at home. For a balanced beer-forward cocktail, he recommends starting with 1 ounce of lime juice, three to four dashes of hot sauce (Valentina or Cholula are favorites), and two to three dashes of Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire. For a more vegetal flavor profile, he also suggests adding a few ounces of Clamato or tomato juice to prepare a classic Clamato michelada. From there, give it a gentle stir, pour in a full beer, and finish with a Tajín or chili-lime salt rim. 

The addition of Worcestershire and Clamato can be divisive. Chowhound got Trocha's take, and he indicates he is a big fan of both additions. "Clamato and Worcestershire are very common in Northern Mexican-style micheladas, especially in Sinaloa or Baja," he says. "They add depth, umami, and body to the drink." Trocha reiterates that the beer should be the star and achieving balance should be paramount. Still, he mentioned that a lot of it comes down to personal preference: "That said, some people prefer a cleaner Michelada — more of a Chelada con picante." 

So what is the difference between a chelada and a michelada? A chelada is a doctored-up beer with the addition of lime, salt, and, in this case, hot sauce, while a michelada is more of a full-blown beer cocktail complete with an assortment of robust flavor elements. If you're keen to improve any old cheap beer, adding hot sauce and these two other simple ingredients to make a basic chelada may be up your alley. Regardless, there's plenty of room to come up with your own signature spicy beer cocktail or even a make-your-own-michelada bar for your next party.