For me, one of the great results of co-authoring The World Atlas of Beer in 2012 with Tim Webb was the development of a much greater awareness of what is happening in craft brewing beyond Canada, the United States and western Europe. Further, a truly eye-opening experience I had while compiling the first Pocket Beer Guide one year later was tasting my way through many of the craft beers of Mexico.
In the few years since, Mexico has continued to grow its craft beer scene, even despite the oligopoly of the big two brewers, Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned Modelo and Heineken-owned FEMSA Cerveza. Cerveza Mexico is a conference, competition and beer festival that celebrates this growth and is now in its fifth year!
I’m proud to be both judging at the competition and speaking during the conference, where I will hold forth on the topic of “Craft Beer Around the World and the Rise of National Styles,” or in Spanish, “Cerveza Artesanal Alrededor del Mundo y el Crecimiento de los Estilos Nacionales.” No, I won’t be speaking Spanish, but I understand that there will be simultaneous translation made available.
If you’ll be in Mexico City from September 3 – 5, please consider coming by the conference or at least checking out the beer festival, Beer Mexico 2015. And if you see me on the festival floor, do come on over and say hello.
Full details are available in English or Spanish here. (http://tradex.mx/cerveza)