Inexpensive Beer Week - Trader Joe's Trader Jose Dark Lager

image from joefoodie

I'm not a fan of corn beers like Corona and there's probably a reason why you drink it with a lime wedge shoved on top. For the casual beer drinker, they probably don't drink enough to know the difference of regular beer and great beer. They just drink whatever they saw the most marketing for. Kind of like how I can call out the douche bag preppy boy with the popped collar that walks in and sure enough, he orders the Heineken bottle! I enjoy Heineken, but when there's a wall of taps available to choose from, why? Or if we're at a Mexican cantina geared for all the gringos, this same guy will order a Corona when there's a shelf full of excellent Mexican beers there!

I got a little of subject there, but my point is, I'm just not a fan of flat corn yellow beers like Corona or Sol. If I had to drink beers of that type, I would choose Caguama, or more commonly called Turtle beer since most people can't pronounce or remember the name, but can remember the turtle logo.

I was hesitant to pick up this beer, but when the price is $3.99 (or was it $4.49?) I was willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately for some people, if there isn't a Trader Joe's near you, you're not going to be able to try this out. However, keep reading and you might get some ideas to mix a few beers together.

Reading the label, I'm not quite sure if I'm reading this right, but it would seem like it's brewed by the same people that brew Tecate and Carta Blanca, which can explain why the beer isn't so crappy.

The beer was a surprise to drink. It's easily likable, even though I was expecting a corn beer taste with some notes of a dark ale or porter. It goes over the tongue fairly well, with no bitterness, but a smooth wash. You can definitely taste the sweet malt, not a sugary taste, just beer sweet. It foams up slightly in your mouth to give you a good taste that's a light bodied dark beer. It leaves a note of toasted bread? That's the best way I can describe it. The taste stays on your tongue, but it's not the taste that gives you that cheap beer breath. In fact, I can still taste it 2 minutes later and it's not unpleasant.

I think if you want to get a similar effect and unfortunately you don't live near a Trader Joe's to try this out, you can experiment at home with a dark ale or oatmeal porter and mix it with your Corona. Better yet, use the Caguama beer as it's generally cheaper than Coronas and Sol and is available at most of the major grocery stores. Just experiment to find the right balance, hopefully you don't get too drunk along the process, but hey, that's part of the fun!

I really enjoyed this surprise, and at less than a $1 a bottle, I'm going back to grab a few more. Hopefully they still have it on sale at $3.99.