Is Dos Equis a Dark Beer?

Dos Equis has carved out a unique place in the beer world with its mysterious pitchman and signature amber hue. But with so many varieties and styles today, precisely defining Dos Equis can be tricky. Is it a pilsner? A lager? Or does that rich color mean it qualifies as a dark beer? As we crack open a frosty Dos Equis, we’ll analyze its history, ingredients, and brewing process to determine where it fits within the ever-expanding beer family tree. We’ll also see how Dos Equis compares to undisputed dark beers like stouts and porters. So join us as we get to the bottom of the debate and decisively answer the question: Is Dos Equis a dark beer?

Quick Glance Highlights

While its deep amber color may seem dark, Dos Equis is not technically considered a dark beer. It is classified as a Vienna-style lager, an amber lager style originally from Vienna, Austria. Dos Equis gets its color and caramel malt flavors from roasted malt. However, it does not contain enough roasted malt to qualify as a dark lager like a Dunkel or Schwarzbier. So, while Dos Equis may look dark, it lacks the very high burned malt content used in true dark beers. The “Most Interesting Beer in the World” is better categorized as an amber lager.

Dos Equis Beer Styles

Dos Equis has become one of America’s most recognizable Mexican beer brands, known for its iconic advertising campaign featuring the enigmatic “Most Interesting Man in the World.” But beyond the clever marketing, Dos Equis offers some uniquely refreshing and tasty brews. Let’s look at the two main beer styles that have made Dos Equis famous – the crisp, light Dos Equis Lager Especial and the more prosperous, more full-bodied Dos Equis Amber.

Dos Equis Lager Especial

The Dos Equis Lager Especial is a light golden Mexican pilsner-style lager. First brewed in 1900, it quickly became the flagship beer of Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery in Monterrey, Mexico. Today, it accounts for most Dos Equis sales in the US market.

Dos Equis Lager Especial is made with pure spring water from local wells in Monterrey and a blend of the choicest European and American hops. The hops provide floral, herbal aromas and varying bitterness to balance the light malt body. Fine pilsener malt gives this pale lager an excellent degree of graininess under the zesty hops.

With 4.2% alcohol and a crisp, easy-drinking profile, Lager Especial appealed to American palates seeking a refreshing import alternative to the typical macro lagers. The translucent golden color and frothy white head mirror the light body and thirst-quenching taste. For a Mexican import, Lager Especial is relatively mild-mannered – perfect for sipping at backyard barbecues or enjoying with a lime wedge at the local cantina.

Dos Equis Amber Lager

Seeking a slightly heartier brew, Dos Equis introduced the Dos Equis Amber Lager in the late 1990s. It uses more roasted malts to achieve a richer, amber hue than the pale Lager Especial. The amber color comes from caramel and roasted malts that impart a maltier, more complex flavor.

Dos Equis Amber is brewed with two-row and caramel malts, giving it a medium body and pleasant sweetness. The malts lend tastes of biscuit, toasted bread, light caramel, and nuttiness. The brewers also add orange blossom honey to the Amber, accentuating its sweet, malty profile. Hallertau hops balance against the malts with their mild herbal bitterness.

With 4.7% ABV, the Dos Equis Amber delivers more oomph than the Lager Especial. The fuller body and touch of honey sweetness give this amber lager a smooth, easy-drinking nature. Its shades of malty caramel goodness add diversity to the Dos Equis lineup.

With its two main offerings – the lighter Dos Equis Lager Especial and the richer Amber Lager – Dos Equis has something to satisfy all palates. The crisp, golden Lager Especial appeals to lighter pilsners and lagers fans. Meanwhile, the amber-hued Dos Equis Amber offers more maltiness and caramel flavors for those seeking a fuller-bodied brew. Both exemplify the quality and drinkability that have made Dos Equis a fixture of the import beer sector. The choice between the two is simply a preference between lighter and darker brews. So whichever you choose, as the Dos Equis spokesman would say, “Stay thirsty, my friends.”

Beer Classification Factors

When classifying the thousands of beer styles today, experts look at five key characteristics: bitterness, color, aroma, flavor, and body. Understanding these factors helps determine where a beer fits within style guidelines.

Five Classification Factors

• Bitterness – How bitter a beer tastes due to hops and malt roasting. The scale ranges from low to very high.
• Color – The hue of a beer from straw pale to black. It was determined by the malts used.
• Aroma – The smells from hops, malts, yeast, and other ingredients. Ranges from low to intense.
• Flavor – The interplay of malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness, creating unique taste profiles.
• Body – The feel or weight of a beer in the mouth, from very light to full. It is affected by alcohol content and residual sugars.

Dos Equis Styles

Dos Equis Lager Especial – A pale golden lager with low bitterness, light body, and mild malt and hop flavors.

Dos Equis Amber – A Vienna-style amber lager with more caramel maltiness, moderate body, and lightly sweet, nutty flavors.

Both Dos Equis beers have mild to moderate aromas and bitterness levels. But the Amber has a richer reddish-brown color, flavor, and body compared to the pale, crisp, light-bodied Lager Especial.

Considering key factors like color, bitterness, and body helps categorize beers like Dos Equis into established style guidelines. This system creates order in the complex, ever-expanding world of beer.

Dos Equis Branding and Packaging

Beyond the liquid itself, branding and packaging play a huge role in shaping a beer brand’s identity and appeal to consumers. As a widely available Mexican import beer, Dos Equis has crafted recognizable branding that conveys both tradition and refreshment.

Dos Equis Label Design

The Dos Equis logo and label design pay homage to the rich heritage of Mexican beer dating back to the days of Moctezuma. Moctezuma was the last Aztec ruler before the Spanish conquest, famous for his sophisticated tastes. According to legend, the Aztec emperor had his servants brew a special exotic dark beer just for him using cactus fruit, honey, and chili peppers.

When Dos Equis was first brewed in Mexico in 1897, the brand aimed to capture Moctezuma’s spirit of refinement and distinction. The original Dos Equis label featured Moctezuma’s royal seal, tying the beer back to indigenous Mexican roots. Even as the branding evolved, Moctezuma’s iconic plumed headdress and stoic profile have remained central to the Dos Equis logo.

This symbolism connects Dos Equis to centuries of Mexican brewing tradition in a sophisticated yet modernized form—the emphasis on Moctezuma imagines Dos Equis as a beer fit for Aztec royalty.

Refreshing the Packaging

While respecting its heritage, Dos Equis has also refreshed its look over the decades to convey its crisp, thirst-quenching taste better. 2006, Dos Equis conducted extensive consumer research to revamp its packaging and messaging.

The research found the brown glass longneck bottles and cluttered labels came across as dated rather than refreshing. So, Dos Equis introduced more modern packaging with eye-catching colors and simplified, streamlined labels. The updated design better reflected the beer’s light, crisp profile.

This revamp helped drive Dos Equis’ growth in the 2000s, especially among younger drinkers. The branding continues to emphasize the interplay between tradition and refreshment at the core of the Dos Equis identity. The Aztec-inspired flourishes combined with clean, contemporary fonts and colors keep the packaging feeling current and invigorating.

Through strategic branding and packaging updates, Dos Equis has maintained its exotic pedigree while also communicating a feeling of modern freshness. The label design connects back to storied Mexican brewing history, while the sleek bottles and colors signal crisp, quenching enjoyment. This balance helps explain the widespread popularity of Dos Equis today.

FAQ

What are the key characteristics of a dark beer?

Dark beers are defined by the use of highly roasted malts that impart darker colors, ranging from deep Amber to black. This imparts flavors like coffee, chocolate, toast, caramel, and burnt sugars. Dark beers also tend to have higher alcohol content. Stouts, porters, dark lagers like dunkels and schwarzbiers are considered true dark beer styles.

What ingredients make a beer dark?

Dark roasted malts and grains are responsible for making beers dark. Malts like black patent malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and black barley are kilned at higher temperatures longer, causing the malts to darken substantially. The use of these malts in high quantities creates darker beer styles.

What color is Dos Equis?

Dos Equis has a very deep amber color that borders on light brown. It is significantly darker than pale lagers. However, it is not completely black or opaque like the darkest stouts. So it falls somewhere in the middle – darker than light beers but not as dark as the darkest beers.

What malts/grains are used in Dos Equis?

According to Dos Equis, their lager is brewed using both two-row and caramel malts. The caramel malts impart a reddish color and toasty caramel flavors. However, very dark roasted malts like black or chocolate malts are not used.

What is the alcohol content of Dos Equis?

Dos Equis lager has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 4.3%. This is on the lower end for lagers, with many light lagers having around 5% ABV. Dark beers often contain higher alcohol, typically 5-9% ABV or above. So, the alcohol content of Dos Equis is also lower than most dark beers.

What beer styles are considered “dark beers”?

Stouts, porters, dark lagers like dunkels and schwarzbiers, brown ales, and Belgian dark strong ales are common styles brewed with dark roasted malts. They display very dark brown to black colors and robust, malt-driven flavors.

How does Dos Equis compare to dark beers in color?

While darker than pale lagers, Dos Equis is noticeably lighter than the very dark shades of stout and porter. Guinness Draught Stout, for example, appears opaque black, whereas Dos Equis shows a clear, deep brownish-amber color.

Is Dos Equis classified as a dark beer?

No, Dos Equis is almost always categorized as a Vienna-style lager or amber lager. It lacks the key traits like very dark color, pronounced roasted flavors, and higher alcohol content to be considered a true dark beer style. The use of some caramel malts gives Dos Equis hints of maltiness but not at levels present in dark beers.

So, can Dos Equis be called a dark beer?

While Dos Equis is darker and maltier than average pale lagers, it does not contain enough highly roasted dark malts to be grouped with true dark beers like stouts, porters, and dark lagers. Its amber color is more indicative of an amber or Vienna lager. So, most beer experts would not officially classify Dos Equis as being a dark beer.

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Final Thoughts

With its striking amber color, Dos Equis lager certainly gives the impression of a dark beer. However, when compared to true dark lagers and ales, Dos Equis lacks the very high roasted malt content required to be classified as a dark beer style. While its caramel and malt flavors come from some roasted malts, it is not brewed primarily with dark, roasted malts like stouts and porters. So, while it may look the part, Dos Equis is better categorized as a Vienna-style amber lager. Its mid-range roasted malt profile places Dos Equis in more of a grey area between light and dark beers.