When it comes to beer imports, no country has as big of an impact as Mexico. By knowing which Mexican beer brands consumers are most interested in, and the top selling SKUs from those brands, retailers can make better stocking and marketing decisions for this category going into the warmer months.

Mexican imported beer accounts for a six percent share of the beer sold on Drizly in the past 12 months. Beer from the United States makes up an 85 percent share. Mexican imported beer’s share rose one percentage point compared to the 12 months prior, suggesting consumer interest in these beers is on the rise. 

It’s not just on Drizly. According to the Beer Institute, Mexico is the top country for beer imports in the United States. It’s also the only country among the top five importing countries that increased the percentage of imports (by seven percent) from 2021 to 2022.

The average unit price of Mexican beer on Drizly over the past year, $15.50, is five percent higher than the overall beer average price of $14.80. California over-indexes in Mexican beer sales on Drizly. The state accounts for eight percent of overall beer share on Drizly, yet has a 14 percent share of Mexican beer.

Lagers dominate the Mexican beer category with a 71 percent share of the category. Hard seltzer follows with a 10 percent share, pilsner has an eight percent share, amber/Vienna lager a five percent share. The category of spice, herb, or vegetable beer has a two percent share.

Hard seltzers have been trending up over the past couple of years, but on Drizly, hard seltzer SKUs from Mexican beer brands have decreased one percentage point since 2020.

“The top selling Mexican beer brand, Corona, has benefited by carrying their brand into other growth beer categories over the past few years, most notably hard seltzer,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. “However, as hard seltzer share growth wanes, it appears consumers may be turning back towards the traditional Mexican lagers as we have seen across categories like light lager seeing share growth this year.”

These are the top-selling Mexican beer brands on Drizly, as well as each brand’s top SKUs.

1. Corona

Corona Extra first came to the U.S. in 1979, followed by Corona Light in 1989. Today, it’s the top-selling Mexican beer on Drizly. Its top sellers include a mix of traditional lagers, hard seltzers, and flavored malt beverages.

Corona Seltzer is popular among consumers and is one of the top 10 hard seltzers on Drizly. The mix packs come in berry or tropical, with flavors like citrus lime, spicy pineapple, watermelon lime, mandarin starfruit, pineapple, raspberry, blackberry lime, blueberry açaí, and strawberry kiwi. 

Lastly, there’s Corona Refrescas, which are flavored malt beverages with options like guava lime, coconut lime, passionfruit lime, and pineapple lime. 

2. Modelo

The top selling SKU of Modelo is the classic pilsner-style Especial, which reflects the consumer preference for light, easy drinking Mexican beer. That’s followed by Modelo Negro. 

Unlike Corona, Modelo hasn’t tapped into the hard seltzer trend. The brand isn’t just beer, however. Among the top Modelo SKUs are the Cheladas. These michelada-style products are made with beer and added flavors of tomato, salt, lime, and other flavors depending on the SKU. 

3. Dos Equis

Dos Equis dates back to a German immigrant to Veracruz, Mexico, in the late 1800s. It didn’t make its way into the U.S. until 1983. Today, it’s the third-highest selling Mexican imported beer on Drizly. 

The best-selling Dos Equis SKUs start with the lager and ambar, with the third highest being the Lime & Salt, which is Dos Equis lager with lime and salt added. 

Like Corona, Dos Equis has also found some success outside of traditional beer categories. Dos Equis RanchWater is a hard seltzer flavored like the Texas drink of the same name made with tequila, lime, and sparkling water. 

4. Pacifico

The flagship beer for Pacifico, which started in the town of Mazatlán in 1900, is the brand’s lager. That’s also the top selling Pacifico SKU on Drizly, followed by the Ballena, which is the same lager beer in a 32-ounce bottle. Pacifico is the only Mexican beer brand in the top five on Drizly where a different size format is among the top selling SKUs for that brand.

Another standout SKU for Pacifico is the Citrus Agave Lager. This twist on the flagship adds agave, salt, and lime flavor.

5. Tecate

Tecate was imported to the U.S. in 1947, and in 1994 the brand launched Tecate Light. Those two core offerings are the top selling Tecate SKUs on Drizly. Another light beer offering from Tecate, Alta, is a newer SKU that’s only 85 calories. Tecate Michelada is the third-highest SKU on Drizly for the brand, and is made with beer, tomato juice, lime, salt, spices, and chili pepper.