We're lifting the cap on Modelo

It's not the loudest beer on the beach, nor the flashiest in your fridge—but it is the top-selling imported beer in America.

Let’s rewind to 1925: Modelo was born in the Tacuba neighborhood of Mexico City, brewed at the same factory as Corona. While Corona leaned hard into sunglasses-and-sand energy, Modelo played it cooler—less spring break, more poker night with good lighting.

Then came the plot twists.

First: Prohibition. When America collectively decided alcohol was a bad idea (spoiler: it wasn't), parched drinkers looked south. Mexican beer—Modelo among them—suddenly had an eager U.S. fanbase. A beer smuggled by circumstance.

Second: Remember Emperor Maximilian I? Probably not. But his brief and bizarre Austrian rule over Mexico in the 1860s brought with it a taste for German brewing. Without him? No Vienna-style Negra Modelo. No reason to mention your “chocolate-chile ice cream made with beer” at every party.

Third: Modelo has fighting spirit. Literally. In 2018, it knocked Bud Light off the mat to become the official beer sponsor of the UFC. Picture it: blood, bruises, and frosty bottles of Modelo on branded floor mats. If that’s not range, what is?

But Modelo’s reach doesn’t stop at the octagon. It's collaborated with graffiti artists, streetwear brands, and even the Dallas Mavericks, turning beer into a lifestyle flex.

And let’s not skip over Modelito—the 7-ounce mini-me version of Modelo Especial that’s taken over bars as the most charming way to say, “I’ll just have one…for now.”

Also: those gold lions on the label? Not just for show. They’re straight outta Mexico City’s coat of arms, guarding the brand name like it's a national treasure (which, by now, maybe it is). Look closer and you'll find Pablo Diez Fernández’s signature—one of the brand’s OG founders—hiding beneath the logo like an Easter egg for beer nerds.

Whether you’re popping a Chelada on the porch or cracking an Especial for fight night, Modelo isn’t just beer—it’s a century-spanning, multi-continental flavor bomb hiding in plain sight.

Sneaky? Absolutely. Refreshing? Always. Iconic? At this point, yeah.