Cerveza Xteca releases easy-drinking lager

May 1, 2019 6 AM PT

The new beer is available on draft in Barrio Logan and National City.

Beer: Xteca, a Mexican-American lager. A crisp quaffer with a light body, this beer’s accent is on bready malts and a mild corn chip finish.

From: Cerveza Xteca, San Diego.

Why: Like Mexican imports, Xteca is an easy-drinking lager with enough carbonation to cut through spicy or rich foods. Brighter and fresher, though, than a bottle of Pacifico or can of Tecate.

Geeking out: 5% alcohol by volume; minimal hop bitterness.

Seeking out: 16-ounce cans are starting to show up at local retailers, but it’s easiest to find Xteca on draft. Order a pint at the ¡Salud! gastropubs at 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan, or 2333 Highland Ave., National City.

Peter Rowe

Peter joined The San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984. A native Californian who grew up in Encinitas, Rowe is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Northwestern University. He is past president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and a former Fulbright scholar. He has won a few journalism awards, but would trade them all for a chance to avenge his 1994 “Jeopardy!” loss. Married to a terrific woman who has saved him from errors in writing and in life, he has three sons. At the U-T, Rowe writes profiles and features and is even paid to review beers, which hardly seems fair.