Mexico's capital of craft Baja brewers cleaned up in national competition

Insurgente, Cerveza Fauna, Cerveceria Wendlandt and fellow Baja breweries set the craft beer pace in Mexico.

Back in September, in what has become an autumn tradition, the Great American Beer Festival heaped loads of recognition upon the general greatness of San Diego beer. Area breweries claimed five golds en route to sixteen medals overall, slightly up from the fourteen won in 2017, and right about our annual average over the past ten years.

The biggest local winner was Ocean Beach Brewery; the two-year-old coastal brewpub earned the right to call itself the Small Brewpub of the Year.

But it’s time to start celebrating the accomplishments of another local brew scene: the one emerging directly to our south. In October, Mexico held its most distinguished national beer competition, Copa Cerveza Mx, and breweries from the state of Baja California dominated, claiming 42 out of 127 medals; its biggest regional competitors came from Mexico City (22 medals) and the area around Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco (19 medals).

Tijuana breweries led the Baja medal count, earning 17 pieces of hardware, but it was Mexicali that truly led the way, accounting for 9 of the 19 gold medals coming home to Baja, and 14 medals overall.

Particularly successful was Mexicali’s Cerveza Fauna, which claimed 3 golds and 2 silver medals, earning the distinction as this year’s top brewery (Fauna also earned a bronze in this year’s World Beer Cup). Not far behind was Insurgente, the rare Tijuana craft brewery that ships bottles to the U.S. Insurgente received 5 medals, including 2 each gold and silver. Rounding out the region’s success were Ensenada-based breweries, its 10 medal haul led by Cerveceria Wendlandt, winning 2 golds and 2 silvers of its own.

Another double gold medal winner was Mexicali’s Cerveceria Legion, which added a bronze to its total. Other Tijuana breweries earning multiple medals were Kaminari Brewing Co. (1 gold, 2 silver) and Madueño Brewing Co. (1 gold, 1 silver). Ensenada’s Heisenberg claimed 1 gold, 1 bronze.

Perhaps as telling as San Diego’s cross-border friends performing so well was the categories that helped them do so. For example, Baja breweries swept both the American IPA category, and Black IPAs. And they took the top two spots of several other categories San Diego breweries are well known for: American Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Stout, Fruit Beer, and Double IPA. For good measure, they also took gold and silver for hazy, or New England IPAs.

Below is a list of award winning beers, by city, to look for south of the border. See a full list of Copa Cerveza Mx winners here

Ensenada

Cerveceria Doble C

Bronze — Sombra Verde, Session IPA

Cerveceria Transpeninsular

Silver — 3 Virgenes, American Amber Ale

Cerveceria Wendlandt

Gold — Vaquita Marina, American Pale Ale

Gold — Harry Polanco, American Amber Ale

Silver — Veraniega, Blonde Ale

Silver — Foca Parlante, American Stout

Cerveza Bruer

Gold — Hussong Porter, American Porter

Cerveza Cardera

Gold — Grinch , Chocolate and Coffee Beers

Heisenberg

Gold — Mike, Belgian IPA

Bronze — Cuantica Honey Bee, Alternative Sugar Beer

Mexicali

Brew Capital

Gold — Citra IPA, American IPA

Cervecería Cucapá

Bronze — Greencard, American Barleywine

Cerveceria Legion

Gold — Tenebris, Imperial Stout

Gold — Framboise, Fruit Lambic

Bronze — Legion IPA, American IPA

Cerveza Ballesteros

Gold — Kölsch, Kolsch

Cerveza Fauna

Gold — Nox Arcana, Foreign Extra Stout

Gold — Dark Lycan, Black IPA

Gold — Cabeza de Vaca, Double IPA

Silver — Farmhouse, Brett Beer

Silver — Guayaba Berliner Weisse, Fruit Beer

Ciervo Rojo Cerveceria

Gold — Cheeky Monkey, New England IPA

Puerco Salvaje

Gold — Barrel Aged Sour, Wood-Aged Beer

Rival Brewing Co.

Silver — Black Forest, Black IPA

Tecate

Cerveza Mexicana Colibre

Silver — Colibre Dark Lager, Czech Dark Lager

Tijuana

Border Psycho Brewery

Silver — Hoptimista, American IPA

Silver — Perversa, Double IPA

Cerveceria Ramuri

Gold — Lagrimas Negras 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

Insurgente

Gold — Scotch Scotch Scotch..., Wee Heavy

Gold — Rosa Salvaje, Fruit Beer

Silver — Dragula, Oatmeal Stout

Silver — Imperial Stout, Specialty Wood-Aged Beer

Bronze — Brown, American Brown Ale

Kaminari Brewing Co

Gold — Zaguee, Wild Specialty Beer

Silver — Anubis Breakfast, Imperial Stout

Silver — Gose Mojito, Fruit and Spice Beer

Lúdica Artesanal

Bronze — Lambic 2014 23D: Lambic

Madueño Brewing Co.

Gold — Antares, American Wheat Beer

Silver — Myrcene, New England IPA

Mamut Brewery Co.

Silver — Fractal, American Pale Ale