I’ve got a good friend that drinks Dos Equis exclusively. I’ve tried to get him into craft a few times, but there just aren’t many Mexican lager options for those people. It’s something that leaves me torn because as a beer nerd, I’m not reaching for a Mexican lager like Hecho en Conroe, but there are plenty of folks that might! I’ve actually ran some numbers, but more on that another time.
Chris knows my buddy and has even helped me get him some good craft options for his palette. He owed me a few beers, so he grabbed me a growler of Hecho en Conro at Drink of Ages Pub. My Dos Equis drinking pal and I went to the shooting range this Saturday and followed that up with chicken and beer at my house. After a few Dos Equis, I busted this bad boy out. Not only was he stunned by how big the can was, having never seen a crowler before, but when he drank it he said something about craft beer I never thought he would. “I don’t hate it.” THAT’S A WIN, Y’ALL!
Now, how’s it look, so you can find it for your friends? I don’t think Hecho en Conroe even has label art, but the taphandle art on Southern Star’s site shows it as green, white, and red just like the Mexican flag. There’s some black, cursive text that says Mexican lager, and there’s the hecho en Mexico eagle head sitting at the top of the handle.
Hecho en Conroe pours a crystal clear, golden yellow. It looks like apple juice. There’s a foamy white head that melts quickly. While the color’s a little darker than a Corona or Dos Equis, it looks spot on. My pictures suck because we got a late start on the chicken after the range, and we’re losing day light now. It actually looks much lighter.
It smells perfectly light and cereal crisp with a hint of corn and nearly no hops.
Southern Star hit the nail on the head with this one. It tastes just like Corona or any of the other generic Mexican lager options, but a bit better. All the same flavors you’d expect are there, but they’re just a bit more pronounced noticeable. Light body, smooth finish with a tiny lingering sweetness typical of the style make Hecho en Conroe a good look for the Dos Equis, Corona drinking friends we all have.
The carbonation is perfectly complimentary to the light and refreshing style, and it’s pretty light bodied.
As I mentioned above, there aren’t many local options to compare it to. Deep Ellum Neato Bandito comes to mind, but this isn’t as flavorful as that. That’s not a dig either (when you consider the audience). It’s more on the light, crisp side than the sweet, malty side so Blackwater Draw Border Town lager isn’t a great comparison either. Can I just come out and say it? Southern Star took a style of beer that beer nerds like me probably couldn’t care less about, and they knocked it out of the park for all of our stubborn friends. There’s no great local comparison. It doesn’t exist!
You can find Southern Star Hecho en Conroe on draft at the brewery, at DOA, World of Beer North Point, Hop Scholar, and Moon Tower to name a few.
My Overall Rating
3.5
Southern Star Hecho en Conroe
I’ve never been so pumped about such a tame beer. Gimme the hops. Gimme a rich, super smokey RIS. Hell, gimme a really clean cream ale, but a Mexican lager? That’s usually not gonna get me too excited. Except for when it’s this well done, light, crisp, and perfectly reminiscent of the first few beers you tried after you started growing out of the BMC beers. I can’t wait for these guys to put this in cans.
At any rate, what’d y’all think of Hecho en Conroe? ¿Te gusto? ¿O no? Let us know by voting below or tell us about it in the comments, but do it en Engles, por favor! Beers to you, Houston!
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Anthony's a Houston native, a Creative Strategist at https://ledgeloungers.com/, an adjunct instructor of Visual Communication at Lone Star College, and a UH Coog that loves good beer almost as much as he does his city. Anthony lives to help others and that's found a home helping some of the coolest breweries on earth with creative and marketing projects that can be seen on our Portfolio page. Fueled by hoppy lagers, sessionable IPAs, and gangster rap, he's ticked his way through H-Town, rocking the most unusual Nikes he can find. When he's not writing for us, he's with his family or very patiently rooting for the Rockets.
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