Bacon and beer

[Sallygirl]

Excited to be heading back to Cozumel very soon! I have some new things to try this year, thanks to various posts I've read here since my last trip. One is the lobster bacon sandwich at Le Chef. Told my dive buddy (husband) about it and he wants to know if it is regular bacon or more "hammy" like Canadian bacon.

The second critical piece of info: someone mentioned that they really enjoy a Mexican beer brewed by Bohemia. I think... Who can tell me more about that?

All trip details and dives are locked down, looking forward to my favorite vacation of the year! Even if the mosquitoes are bad this year. Thanks for that info, I will be prepared.

 

[KeithG]

... he wants to know if it is regular bacon or more "hammy" like Canadian bacon. ...

A quick heads up: the rest of the world has it wrong. It's not "Canadian Bacon" as in "the only kind of bacon that us Canucks eat". It is really called Peameal bacon. Peameal bacon - Wikipedia

And no, we don't eat it either. We love good old real "american bacon". Peameal bacon is for tourists. Just like Molson Golden.Molson Golden

 

[Wookie]

Having come from Canadian stock, the best bacon I've ever found in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland looks just like the strips you're used to, but has a rind. You don't eat the rind. Well, I don't eat the rind. "Canadian bacon" is only really found on egg mcmuffins and eggs benedict.

Bohemia is brewed in Mexico by Bohemia, owned by Heineken, which owns everything. Meh.

 

[heavierthanlead]

It's "real" bacon... And, Bohemia Obscura (which I think you're referring to) is actually a "dark" beer, but don't let that prevent you from trying it, as most of my friends who don't like the dark, all agreed it's quite yummy, and lighter than most! Pick up a spack at Mega...

Here's a primer, on Mexican beers:

Best and Worst Mexican Beers - The Cerveza Report

 

[KeithG]

Having come from Canadian stock, the best bacon I've ever found in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland looks just like the strips you're used to, but has a rind. You don't eat the rind. Well, I don't eat the rind. "Canadian bacon" is only really found on egg mcmuffins and eggs benedict.

Bohemia is brewed in Mexico by Bohemia, owned by Heineken, which owns everything. Meh.

And to be very clear: Peameal bacon is NOT bacon. It is Ham - with a corn meal crust - think grits on ham Grits - Wikipedia.

If you like thin sliced ham, it is awesome. If you want bacon...well not so much. A very different experience.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

You have just named 2 of my favorite things about Coz....other than the diving...and the people...and about 10 other restaurants....and the ice cream bars & pina colada Jorchata at Michoacán...and.....

Bohemia Obscura is my favorite beer there. I would not call it a dark beer, more like an Amber plus (my own term). They changed the label last time I was there and it said something other than Obscura. Still good though.

To me, the bacon is regular bacon....definately not Canadian style.

October 28 can not get here soon enough.....

Jay

 

[rongoodman]

I'm a fan of Negra Modelo when I'm there, since I've never been able to find any Guiness.

 

[divingjd]

There is also Bohemia Clara, which is a pretty good lager. It's not as light as the Mexican lagers most Americans are familiar with, like Coronoa or Sol. Bohemia is a little more in a European style. Usually available at Mega and Chedraui and many restaurants. It's one of my favorite beers when I'm in Cozumel.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's not surprising that many beer enthusiasts latch onto Bohemia Obscura in Coz, as the vast majority of Mexican beers are light international-style (read: bland) lagers.

Both Bohemia Obscura and Negra Modelo (which, at least in the US, was somewhat recently renamed Modelo Negra, probably to match the way its sister, Modelo Especial, is named) are of the style known as Vienna Lager. The Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines have this to say about the style's history:

The original amber lager developed by Anton Dreher shortly after the isolation of lager yeast. Nearly extinct in its area of origin, the style continues in Mexico where it was brought by Santiago Graf and other Austrian immigrant brewers in the late 1800s.

There are a few American craft beer examples of it these days. I wish there were more. I love this style.

 

[lionfish-eater]

I'm inquisitive by nature. I am a firm believer of doing the research to be able to form your own opinion.

People opine about their favorite dive op endlessly here on SB, but until you try one for yourself you really don't know how it will work out. And the same op can offer very different experiences at different times due to a multitude of factors. To really find what is best for your tastes you need to try a variety of options and each one more than once to form a good opinion.

I try to follow this approach when applicable.

First I try to narrow the options as there is not enough time to check out all the choices.
Then I engage in a research protocol suitable for the subject at hand.
After multiple experimental trials and complex data analysis, I form a conclusion.

The Chosen Experimental Subjects:

Mexican Buffet

• lionfish-eater
• Jun 22, 2017

My son Kyle, the research assistant busy in the lab:

nap time

• lionfish-eater
• Jun 22, 2017

The experimental findings:

Barralitos: Clean tasting lager, used as an experimental control and pallete cleanser. Perfect breakfast beer.

Negra Modello: Not a dark beer by most standards. More like a toasted malt with a light caramel color. I think of it as a brown lager. Light enough to enjoy on a hot day.

Leon: Very much like negra modello. Hard to tell the difference when poured into a glass without knowing which was which. Can said brewed by Grupo Modello.

Bohemia Oscura: Rich flavor, smaller bubbles, smoother on the tongue, clean aftertaste.

Confounding Variables:

Bottles vs. Cans : The first rounds of sampling were done in glasses without knowing which one.

Price at Mega:

Barralito 50 mxn
Leon 65
modello 85
bohemia 102


And the winner is:

Bohemia ala rocas

• lionfish-eater
• Jun 22, 2017