The Loco Group and Trouble Brewing just debuted its line of Mexican-inspired craft beers — here’s what we like

Photo: Coconuts Media
Photo: Coconuts Media

Following its recent foray into Jamaican-inspired booze at Lime House, homegrown brewery Trouble Brewing’s newest collaboration sees a line of four craft beers intended to invoke the flavors and feel-good vibes of Mexican food.

The four cervezas — a summer ale, a pilsner, a pale ale, and a kind of brown ale-stout hybrid (a mouthful, yes, but more on that later) — were created in conjunction with The Loco Group. According to the team behind these new brews, they had a general idea of the foundational flavors they wanted to produce even at the onset of the project, since they had traveled across Mexico and essentially gathered intel on what works well with Mexican cuisine, from the source.

We went down to Super Loco Customs House to give these new beers a try. OK, many tries. Turns out they’re extremely drinkable — sessionable, we dare say? — and are ideal for consuming in this tropical climate of ours.

Let’s get into the deets, shall we? Ándale!

Will we keep subjecting you to our infant-level fluency in Spanish? Sí!

Photo: Super Loco Customs House
Photo: Super Loco Customs House

As always with craft beer, it’s a bit difficult to do a straight recommendation/prediction on what you will or will not likely enjoy. Sure, it may be labeled with a beer type — summer ale, brown ale, pilsner, etc. — but the flavor profile of a certain product may still be wildly different from what you’ve previously had from other craft producers. We say, keep that mind open. Small-batch brews may surprise you.

But, generally — for these four, folks who love the lighter beers will probably prefer Tulum Verano ($13), a refreshing summer ale with a light hint of citrus.

For some earthy aromas, then the Pesado ($13), a robust beer with a more complex blend of notes — including prickly pear — would be a good bet. That one goes particularly well with spicy dishes and salsa dips.

For something more full-bodied, and balanced with a fruity aroma, then the Nuevo Gringo ($13) is an American-style pale ale that will likely appease those who like something heavier on flavor.

But like we said — craft beer can often deviate from expectations. This APA, for instance, doesn’t have the pronounced piney notes that are typical in North American-made APAs, because, as Gregg Speirs of Trouble Brewing explained to us, they used hops from New Zealand for their Nuevo Gringo — which resulted in an APA that is less piney and sharp, with a “fruity tinge” to it.

Photo: Coconuts Media
Photo: Coconuts Media

But the belle of the ball (for us, at least) is the too-sessionable-for-our-own-good Mayan Dark ($13). Speirs explains that technically it’s a brown ale, but it carries the characteristics of a hearty, traditional stout: It’s bold, yet very smooth, and it’s got strong but ultra clean coffee notes as its backbone.

Apparently, it’s meant to be Trouble Brewing’s nod to ancient Mesoamerican culture, in which the cacao plant was highly revered. Imagine the velvety flavors of a coffee cold brew, but one that gets you mighty buzzed. Perfect for a post-meal swig (or a morning wake-up tipple; we don’t judge).

The exalted Mayan Dark. Photo: Coconuts Media
That beautiful Mayan Dark. Photo: Coconuts Media

Overall, it’s a really solid and concise set of brews — concise as in, you get a pretty good range of flavors across just four beers. They’re wonderfully fresh, too, considering that the beers are brewed right here in a facility in Tuas before it gets poured out to customers within two to three weeks.

The new beers are only available at Loco Group restaurants for now — that’s Super Loco Customs House, Super Loco Robertson Quay, and Lucha Loco, but a little birdie told us that they may be made available for sale as takeaway packs in the future.

“We want them [customers] to feel as if they’ve stepped into Mexico and feel some of that Mexican spirit we felt during our travels,” explained The Loco Group founder Ajay Parag, who may also be that aforementioned little birdie.

Qué rico!

 

FIND IT:

Super Loco Customs House is at #01-04 70, Collyer Quay
Mon-Fri noon-midnight, Sat 6pm-midnight, closed Sunday
MRT: Raffles Place
Other locations: Super Loco Robertson Quay and Lucha Loco

 



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