pilsner-style lager Modelo Especial may be relatively light in color, but this pilsner-style lager is anything but dull or watery. A delicate, herbaceous hop profile gives way to a richer palate with notes of honey, subtle malt, and maize, buoyed by lively carbonation and punctuated with a crisp finish.

Modelo Especial is a light, crisp, pilsner-style beer. But its younger sibling, Negra Modelo, is modeled after the super-popular Munich-born dunkel style, made with roasted caramel malts and brewed longer for a slightly richer, dark-brass-colored beer.

Mexico Grupo Modelo, founded in 1925, is the leader in the manufacture, distribution and sale of beer in Mexico. Corona is the leading beer brand in Mexico, the 6th most valuable beer brand in the world and the most popular Mexican beer worldwide, with sales in more than 120 countries.

Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewer, is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the same parent company of Bud Light.

Rather, the factors that, for the better part of a decade, put Modelo on its triumphant track include an increasing preference among American consumers for imported, more expensive beer; a decade-old antitrust deal; and effective marketing campaigns aimed at attracting young, non-Hispanic consumers to the Mexican beer.

Corona Globally, one of the best known Mexican beers is Corona, which is the flagship beer of Grupo Modelo. Corona is the best-selling beer produced by Mexico, and the best-selling non-domestic beer in both the U.S., U.K and Australia.

Modelo Especial is a pilsner-style lager that was originally brewed in 1925 for Cervecería Modelo's 10th anniversary. Its name actually translates to “special model” which I had to look up because that seems absurd.

Production. Modelo Especial, a pilsner-style, comes in at 4.4 percent ABV, while Negra Modelo, fashioned after Dunkel-style beers first popularized in Munich, is made with roasted caramel malts and clocks in a bit higher at 5.4 percent ABV. Corona Extra, also a pilsner-style, is bottled at 4.6 percent ABV.

Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico that exports beer to most countries of the world. Its export brands include Corona, Modelo, and Pacífico.

Rather, the factors that, for the better part of a decade, put Modelo on its triumphant track include an increasing preference among American consumers for imported, more expensive beer; a decade-old antitrust deal; and effective marketing campaigns aimed at attracting young, non-Hispanic consumers to the Mexican beer.

As more Latino and Hispanic drinkers have reached legal drinking age, their preferences have shifted the overall mix of beer that's selling in the United States. The country's growing Hispanic population has boosted Modelo's growth.

Modelo Especial Bud Light has been the most popular beer in the United States for over 20 years, CNN reports, but as of May 2023, Mexican lager Modelo Especial holds the No. 1 spot.