Modelo Especial

Review Date 7/25/2001  Last Updated 10/19/2025 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Pilsner   Brewery: Modelo   Country: Mexico   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.15 (B)   ABV: 4.4%

Tonight, it’s a very, very hot July night here in Rhode Island. Though we’ve been blessed so far with a relatively mild summer and temperatures averaging in the seventies, our luck had to run out sooner or later. It did today, and temperatures soared into the nineties. The upshot? This is great beer-drinking weather. Of course, when it’s cold, that’s great beer drinking weather too. Just like when it rains, you can really enjoy a brew then too. Or when it snows. A blizzard is a great time for a beer, better even than during a hurricane. Why you ask? Because you can stick your beer in the snow to keep it cold when the power goes out.

Come to think of it, any weather is suited for beer in my book. That said, I’m looking for different qualities in a brew based on what the weather is doing. In the scorching heat, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not looking for a hugely bitter brew or an extremely malty one for that first beer of the night. Sometimes I just want an ice-cold quencher with just enough body and flavor to keep me interested. At the same time, I want a beer that’s quaffable, something I can drink fast while ice cold. In this regard, Modelo Especial fits the bill quite nicely.

You’re familiar with the brewery that produces Modelo Especial. Cerveceria Modelo also brews Corona, the leading imported beer in the United States, and Negra Modelo, an excellent Vienna-style lager. Founded in 1925, Modelo is Mexico’s leading brewer with eight breweries and 57% of the Mexican beer market. Its brands are exported to more than 140 countries worldwide.

Modelo Especial pours to a light golden color with a fizzy head formation that recedes soon after the pour. The nose is light with a gentle suggestion of hops. The palate is smooth but with a respectable body and a touch of crisp malt character. There’s a subtle kiss of hops in the finish, just enough to balance the brew and make it drinkable. Think of Corona kicked up a notch, and you’ll have Modelo Especial.

This brew is what beer enthusiasts refer to as lawnmower beer. It’s great on a hot day after a rigorous activity like cutting the grass. It goes well with Mexican cuisine and you will in fact find it in many Mexican restaurants. I enjoyed it tonight with grilled pork, seasoned vegetables, and a baked potato.

Update 10/19/2025: I don't drink Modelo Especial often. But when I do, it's usually at a Patriots football game. Here I am again sitting in Nissan Stadium in Nashville watching my New England Patriots trounce the Tennessee Titans whilst drinking a Modelo Especial. This was the only beer I drank during he game, though I would enjoy several craft beers in the city after the game. My choices other than this beer were Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Michelob Ultra, so you can see why I chose what I did. To be fair, there are two Yee Haw tap rooms in the stadium, but they were a quite far from our seats and hey, I am here to see the game. The last time I drank a Modelo Especial was almost four years aho, at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, watching my Patriots trounce the Falcons. Seeing a pattern here? The beer is a crisp, clean pilsner well suited for drinking straight from the can. It cost me $12 for a pint can but hey, stadium prices. Total Wine sells it for $10.99 a six-pack bottles here in Georgia. Oddly, a case of 12-ounce cans is $25.99, more than twice the six-pack price.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??