Review: Ska Brewing Mexican Logger

Until now, Ska Brewing Co.'s Mexican Logger has been merely a local's favorite, a beer appreciated by a few of us in Durango while barbecuing, rafting, hiking and watching the thunderstorms roll down the Animas Valley.

Photo courtesy Ska Brewing.

This is changing. Ska recently began canning Mexican Logger, its summer seasonal, and distributing it widely. No longer will the lager be our little secret.

Ska is brewing about 900 barrels of Mexican Logger this summer, double last year's production, and distributing it to all of the brewery's markets.

Ska began brewing Mexican Logger in summer 2001. "We had been going through a multi-summer Pacifico phase, sometimes even drinking it instead of Ska beers when it was particularly hot out," Ska co-founder Dave Thibodeau said in an email. "Well, that couldn’t fly for long so we decided to brew our own beer to put limes in."

Mexican Logger  (4.2 percent ABV, 18 IBUs), is brewed with a yeast strain from Mexico City and a light helping of Saaz hops. It's Ska's lowest booze beer, and the only lager it regularly brews.

It comes in bright green cans that will probably attract lots of eyes on the shelves of liquor stores (there's some in bottles, too). Amusingly, in the fine print next to the UPC code, it says "Ale, in Texas," even though Mexican Logger is, of course, a lager.

"As we all know, Texas likes to make up their own rules despite facts, i.e. creationism vs science," Thibodeau said. "Contradictory to the actual definition of 'ale,' Texas defines it as beer over 4 percent ABW. Beer under 4 percent ABW is called 'beer.' Because the Mexican Logger is a lager we couldn’t get it approved to sell in Texas, unless we called it 'ale,' so there you go, it’s 'ale, in Texas.'"

Anyway, Mexican Logger pours a pale yellow with a white, fluffy head of foam. It's fairly strongly carbonated. Despite the low booze and hopping, Mexican Logger is surprisingly flavorful. Corona, it's not.

Mexican Logger is a middle-aged beer in Ska's history. It's not as old as True Blonde and Pinstripe, which date to Ska's founding in 1995, but nor is it a young buck like Modus Hoperandi IPA (born in 2009).

Ska seems a little anxious over how Mexican Logger will be received in its newer markets like Missouri and Texas. It's not a hop bomb, nor barrel-aged nor sour.

But it's clear that people enjoy Mexican-style lagers. Corona is the no. 1 imported beer in the U.S., and more and more American craft breweries are doing their own. One worth mentioning is Del Norte Brewing in Denver, which brews a whole lineup of Mexican-style lagers.

For a decade, Mexican Logger has been a well-liked summer seasonal in Durango. I bet it'll do fine out in the big, wide world. B

Ska cans Mexican Logger

It's really a no-brainer that Ska Brewing Co. would can its Mexican Logger. You have a brewery notable for canning, and a summer seasonal that would go perfectly in cans.

Mexican Logger is a light-bodied lager using a yeast strain imported from Mexico City. It's the beer that Corona would like to be, if Corona tasted good.

It's an ideal summer session beer, quite low in alcohol (4.2 percent ABV) and with a modest dose of Saaz hops (18 IBUs).

It's also the kind of beer that is underrated by beer geeks. No, it's not a hop bomb, nor is it barrel-aged, nor an impossible-to-find Belgian rarity. It's just a fine summer beer, with a flavorful yeast character that is difficult to describe.

Canning should mean it's more widely available. It seems like every year, Mexican Logger runs out and I've only had one six-pack. I vow not to let that happen this year.

Longtime Ska drinkers will note the can design. It's lacking the character – a literal Mexican logger – who has in past years appeared on the bottle.

The logger was depicted leaning up against a tree, sleeping under a sombrero. I'm sure Ska meant no offense, but one could see how such a stereotypical depiction could be considered offensive. It's probably best that Ska has apparently retired him.

I'm looking forward to sucking down Mexican Logger as I flip brats on the grill this summer, and it should be just the thing after a long day backpacking or running the river.

Photo courtesy Ska Brewing, via Facebook

Mexican Logger flows at Ska

Ska Brewing Co. drew a big crowd Tuesday for the release of its summer seasonal, Mexican Logger.

As you might imagine, this is Ska's attempt at making a Mexican-style lager, using a lager yeast from Mexico City.

Mexican Logger (4.2 percent ABV, 18 IBUs) is crisp and refreshing, but more flavorful than comparable imports.

Corona is the best-selling imported beer in the United States, so it's surprising that more American craft brewers don't brew Mexican-style lagers. Carver Brewing has made one called Cerveza Real.

It also might be the lowest-alcohol beer brewed in Durango. When you want to drink a few beers, especially on a warm afternoon, Mexican Logger is a good pick.

Ska also has a new Local Series beer coming out next week. It's a saison dubbed Saison Du'Rango, as Beer N Bikes previously reported.

Soggy Coaster has a few more details for you: It's brewed using a Belgian and a French farmhouse yeast strain. Yeast is absolutely crucial to the character of saisons, and it's interesting Ska is using two. Some green peppercorns round out the taste.

Ska is brewing it for a saison festival this weekend at Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs. I wasn't aware there were enough saisons on the market to justify their own festival, but Ska President Dave Thibodeau assured me there are, and I'm happy to hear it. There is no better warm-weather beer style.

I haven't had any Saison Du'Rango yet, but Thibodeau said it's tasting great in the fermenter.

This makes two saisons for Durango in one season, with Durango Brewing Co.'s 20th Anniversary Ale already on the shelves. I'll have a review of that soon.

It's April, and things are getting delicious around here.

Top photo: President Thibodeau enjoys a Mexican Logger at Ska's release party. Bottom photo: Two Mexican Loggers ready for me and mine.

Note: This post has been corrected from an earlier version.

Birds, bees and beer

Spring seasonals are coming out fast and furious.

Ska Brewing will release its Mexican Logger on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Ska HQ in Bodo. Pints of the beer will be $3 and Zia Taqueria will have $2 tacos.

Have several Loggers, then go see Ward Churchill. It should be an interesting time.

Soggy Coaster thoroughly enjoys Mexican Logger. It's as if Corona made a good beer.

Seriously, why would anybody buy Corona when Mexican Logger is available? Given importation costs, the beers are very comparably priced. Mexican Logger (4.2 percent ABV, 18 IBUs) happens to be much fuller-bodied, tastier and, um, good. I doubt Corona has Saaz hops. Nevertheless, Corona remains the no. 1 import beer in America.

Mexican Logger is a great session beer for summer barbecues.

Unfortunately, spring also means that a Northern Flicker woodpecker has been pounding away at Soggy Coaster's metal roof every morning. I'll need some Mexican Logger to deal with that.

(Update: I should have mentioned that Carver Brewing has its new Spring Tonic Elixir on tap, brewed from a Prohibition-era recipe. Monkey Wrenched IPA is also newly on tap. The imperial stout has returned).