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Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Colored Beer: No I'm Not Dreaming & It's Not St. Patrick's Day
Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining Colored Beer: No I'm Not Dreaming & It's Not St. Patrick's Day | Colored Beer: No I'm Not Dreaming & It's Not St. Patrick's Day |
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| Written by JOY HEPP | |
| Saturday, 29 September 2007 | |
 'Brewmaster Elba Copado Figueroa has created a flamboyant collection of beers at her Beer Lounge in downtown Tlaquepaque. ' - Photo By CR File "My friends ask me why I ever bother leaving the house," he says. Elba Copado Figueroa, Enrique's wife, is Mexico's only female brewmaster, and she makes a mean Indian Pale Ale. Together the couple own and run Beer Lounge, a funky bar in downtown Tlaquepaque. Copado has faced challenges at virtually every step of her journey. Not only is the small world of brewmasters dominated by men, but she is running her business in Mexico, where many men identify as much with their beer brand as they do with their soccer team. She started out studying chemistry at the University of Guadalajara. After visiting a microbrewery in Mexico City, she became intrigued with the whole brewing process. "It's a very beautiful art form," she says. She liked it so much that she moved to Chicago to attend the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy. She only had a working knowledge of English at the time, but she managed to excel in her courses. "Chemistry is a universal language," she says. When it came time to work on her final project, Copado had the idea of creating flavored beers. "It started out as a project because I don't really like the taste of beer," she says. "Not even my professor believed that I could do it." She pressed on, convinced that she would be able to mix barley hops and yeast into fruity concoctions. Even though at first she couldn't even convince any professors to drink the beer, she passed her final project with flying colors. Now her flavored beers – coconut, apple, mango, melon and cranberry – are some of the most popular items on the menu. Even after she has had her business for two years she still runs into skeptics. Customers come in to Beer Lounge hell bent on drinking a Corona and the industry still isn't used to females among the ranks. "The environment is very macho," she says. "If I call a supplier they never call me back, but if my husband calls they call back in ten minutes." On a recent Wednesday afternoon, first-time visitor Hugo Alvarez approaches the bar and asks Aguirre what kind of beer they serve. He explains they are a microbrewery and don't serve any of Mexico's popular brands. Alvarez says that he normally drinks Modelo so Aguirre offers up one of his wife's Porters. The customer takes one sip, contemplates the drink for a few seconds and then guzzles down the rest of the glass. "Very good," he comments. When another customer points out that Elba made the beer he looks puzzled and finally finds the word he's looking for. "Orale." Beer Lounge is located at Juarez 147 inside the Plaza Artesenias in downtown Tlaquepaque. It's open from noon to 10 p.m. weekdays and noon to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Friday nights feature live belly dancing shows. For more information visit www.beerlounge.com.mx. |
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