Celebrate Cinco De Mayo at Lost Worlds and Experience a Pint of Pulque Agave Ale

Often confused with the Mexican Independence, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Celebrated more in the United States than Mexico, the holiday is one big “Cheers!” to Mexico, with beer sales rivaling Super Bowl Sunday.

As with prior celebrations at Lost Worlds, our featured beer will be our fan favorite Matawil Mexican Lager. Matawil fits into the Mexican Lager category and delivers a smooth, malty sweetness with just a pinch of lime. However, there is a surprise lurking behind the brewery walls at Lost Worlds and it all begins with Pulque.

In Pre-Christian Mexico, the Mexica (or Aztecs) fermented the nectar of the agave plant to produce a thick, opaque beverage. Pulque, as it’s known, comes in at around 4 percent ABV. The taste is subtly sweet with a light starchy or sour note. Naturally probiotic, pulque was extolled for its health benefits and given to warriors before battle, women during childbirth, the elderly to ease their pain, and as a celebratory drink. The conquering Spanish viewed it as a pagan drink and sought unsuccessfully to eliminate its consumption. From the Mexican Independence in 1821 till the 1900’s, pulque consumption gave rise to the pulqueria, a tavern type atmosphere where pulque and entertainment reigned.

Then in the early 20th century, German brewers crossed the Atlantic bringing with them their traditional German lagers. To crack into the Mexican market, they engaged in a smear campaign to tarnish Pulque. They were successful – fostering the perspective that Pulque was unsanitary, unhealthy, and the beverage of the deplorables in pulquerias. Successful to relegating pulque to the beverage of the back alley, German beers took precedence – a trend yielding the dominant Mexican Lagers (Corona, Modelo, Tecate) which are in fact German Lagers.

But over the last few years, a new trend is forming. Pulque is making a resurgence in Mexico. Pulquerias are making a comeback and Mexican drinkers are returning in droves to their national beverage.  Pulque production is expanding rapidly with a bevy of alternative formulations hitting the market including clamato, peanut butter, almond and other variants. Time will tell, but pulque may be reclaiming its spot as the national beverage of Mexico.

At Lost Worlds, we love tinkering with new recipes. Making true pulque comes with challenges. We opted instead to make Pulque Agave Ale. This recipe is derived off an Aztec cousin to pulque that contained malted barley and a Ocpactli (a bitter plant we replace with hops). Our Pulque Agave Ale will be available on May 5th. We can’t wait to share with you this unique beverage that is the true ancestral beverage. Cheers!