By Greg B.  As I was rooting around in my fridge, trying to make space for the recently bottled Pilsner I just made (it needs a cold, sub 40F place to hang out for a few months, so I’m giving up food space to try to make a good pils) I stumbled upon one of my all-time least favorite beers.  Modelo Especial.  It’s amazing that this beer is so awful to me, while I can enjoy a can of Tecate (it’s basically fermented corn water, but I love it for some reason) and while Modelo makes a good beer, with their Modelo negra, a delicious dark lager with some nice roasted flavors.  The Modelo Especial is pretty nasty, and for Mexican beers, I’d just avoid this beer altogether.  But, here’s my tasting review.

I poured the beer into my trusty lager mug (appropriate usage this time!).  The beer comes nicely packaged… though as always, the clear glass should put up red flags about the beer you’re going to drink (and yes, the same is true about your beers too, England.) and this lone straggler is the last of a 6-pack from a long time ago, probably Gregtoberfest IV.  The beer pours a very brilliantly clear golden color with obvious carbonation producing a large, 1-2 finger foamy white head immediately after pouring that rapidly recedes to almost nothing, leaving no lacing.  The aroma is almost non-existent, though sweet corn is evident.  The flavor is kind of like the aroma, just worse.  Corn, alcohol, maybe the slight beginning of some malt texture are evident, but this feeling is rapidly erased by the aggressive carbonation.  Leaves a weird, dry after taste that makes you want to drink more… but of something else.  I took a few sips, then poured this beer out.  Bleh!  If you must drink it, serve extremely cold and chug, so you don’t taste the beer.  .6/5, 4.5% abv