Modelo is a Mexican pale lager, specifically a pilsner-style lager.
Main Modelo style
Modelo Especial, the most common variety, is a golden, crisp, pilsner-style Mexican lager with moderate alcohol content around 4.4–4.5% and a light hop character.
It is considered a premium Mexican lager rather than a craft beer.
Other Modelo varieties
Negra Modelo (often called Modelo Negra) is a Munich-style dunkel dark lager with a richer, maltier, caramel-like flavor.
Modelo also appears in chelada and light variants, but when people say “Modelo” alone, they almost always mean Modelo Especial, the pale lager.
Styles overview table
Name| Kind of beer| Color| Notes on flavor
---|---|---|---
Modelo Especial| Pale / pilsner-style lager 129| Light golden| Crisp, mildly
sweet, light hops 15
Negra Modelo| Munich-style dunkel lager 157| Dark amber| Malty, caramel,
richer body 15