A la Mexicana: Try Los Cuarenta from Original 40 Brewing

March 27, 2020 11 AM PT

Beer: Los Cuarenta

From: Original 40, San Diego

Why: Mexican lagers are de moda, especially as the weather warms. Original 40’s take is soft and clean, with a substantial malt base. Soft on the palate, this beer has a honeysuckle sweetness that fades to a clean finish.

Geek out: 5.3% alcohol by volume.

Seek out*: You’ll find Los Cuarenta at the Original 40 brewpub in North Park. More than a dozen beers are on tap, along with hard ciders and seltzers, plus wine. The kitchen focuses on pub grub, but it’s hard to complain when the burgers are this good. (*Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Original 40 brewpub’s tasting room is closed until further notice. However, you can still order “grub and suds to-go,” which includes crowlers, growlers and cans, as well as its full lunch and dinner menus. Daily window service is open 2 to 6:30 p.m. Call 619.255.7380 for details.)

3117 University Ave., North Park, original40brewing.com

Peter Rowe

Peter is a freelance writer who writes about beer in his bimonthly column Brewery Rowe for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He worked as a reporter and columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune from 1984 to 2020. 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.