Review: Finísima Gran Cerveza Artesanal Mexicana

I've reviewed crafty beer from the Caribbean before but this may be the very first time I've ever reviewed a craft/crafty beer from Mexico. My parents were in Cabo for a few weeks and somehow there was a beer store that sold Mexican craft beer! I still remember their last visit to Vegas and they asked for good beer and they ended up with malt liquor! My mom mentioned one of the beers wasn't one of the ones I requested and I feel like it may have been this one, but I'm definitely up for trying anything different and interesting.. especially out of Mexico! In coming days/weeks/months you'll see more reviews of Mexican craft beer... so here we go!

I'm trying Finísima Gran Cerveza Artesanal Mexicana, a Blonde Belgian-style Pale Ale brewed with Belgian yeast. The label is absolutely high end crafty, I was expecting a typical lager but the label is definitely a bit too over the top for a classic Mexican-style lager. 6.5% ABV/15 IBU

Appearance: Honey amber appearance, clear, light carbonation in the body. The head has a whole one finger's thickness of white foam that diminishes a bit leaving behind pockets of foam on the top of the beer but also pockets of clarity.

Aroma: Caramelly, an amber ale with a bit of nuttiness to it. There is a bit of Belgian yeasty vibes in this beer but it's fairly tame - it has a yeasty, bready, bubble gummy aroma that just really pops out when you don't expect it, fairly light otherwise.

Taste: Caramel malt-forward ale with a hint of booziness, a bit of nuttiness and a definite Belgian Ale presence that's just screaming at me.. it's bready, bubble gummy and I'm not sure what else.. but it reminds me of a Belgian Pale Ale to an extent but this is quite light. There's a bit of a grassy hop presence and there's an aftertaste of grass and something floral yet slightly bitter.

Overall Thoughts: Sweet Blonde Ale/Belgian-style Pale Ale, it's quite nice considering I'm used to Corona and Dos Equis but it's still lighter than I expected. This is sweet, a bit nutty but 6.9%?! It definitely is but I would never expect it. Sweet with notes of caramel, the aroma does remind me of a Belgian Pale Ale but the taste of the beer needs a bit of tweaking. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, it reminds me of Amber Ales that I enjoyed in the mid-late 2000s, this didn't taste anything like what I'd expect out of Mexico.