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Sol Cerveza is one of Mexico’s oldest commercial lagers, brewed in Orizaba since 1899, and occupies the lightest, most neutral position in the Mexican lager spectrum. It’s an extremely accessible, clean beer designed to be inoffensive and refreshing in tropical heat, and cloning it is an exercise in brewing the most neutral possible rice-adjunct lager. The result is light, crisp, and genuinely satisfying cold on a hot day.
Sol Cerveza clone recipe (5 gallon / 19L batch)
Target stats: OG 1.044, FG 1.008, ABV ~4.8%, IBU 12, SRM 2–3, very pale straw. Grain bill: 5 lbs (2.27 kg) North American 2-row pale malt. 1.5 lbs (680g) flaked rice, Sol uses rice as its primary adjunct, producing a clean, neutral, very pale profile. 0.5 lb (227g) dextrose, boosts fermentability and dries the finish further, appropriate for Sol’s extremely light character. Rice hulls 0.5 lb, lautering aid. Hops: 0.35 oz Hallertau (60 min), 8 IBU. 0.25 oz Saaz (30 min), 4 IBU. Total IBU: 11–13. Sol is among the least bitter mainstream lagers, hop character is essentially absent. Yeast: White Labs WLP940 Mexican Lager Yeast or Fermentis Saflager W-34/70. Ferment at 9–10°C (48–50°F). Water: Very soft, Orizaba’s water (from Pico de Orizaba volcanic spring sources) is exceptionally soft and clean. Target: calcium 25–30 ppm, sulfate 15 ppm, chloride 45 ppm. Any mineral hardness will make Sol’s extremely neutral profile taste minerally. Use RO water with a micro-mineral addition. Process: Step mash: 50°C (122°F) for 15 minutes (protein rest), 62°C (144°F) for 45 minutes, very low temperature for maximum fermentability, 72°C (162°F) for 10 minutes, 76°C (169°F) mash out. Add dextrose at 10 minutes in the boil. 90-minute boil with 2-row and rice adjunct, the 90-minute boil drives off DMS even from 2-row at a more moderate level than Pilsner malt requires. Ferment at 9°C (48°F) for 2 weeks. Diacetyl rest at 17°C (63°F) for 48 hours. Lager at 2°C (35°F) for 4–6 weeks. Fine thoroughly with gelatin for brilliant clarity. Carbonate to 2.5–2.7 volumes CO2. Serve in Sol’s characteristic clear bottle or keg, this is one of the few clones where the clear bottle serving matches the commercial product’s intention (light-struck notes are mild in Sol because the hop levels are so low there’s minimal isohumulone to photooxidize).
Common Questions
Is Sol the same beer as Corona? They seem identical.
Sol and Corona are not the same beer, though they are strikingly similar in style category and sensory profile. Both are very pale Mexican rice/grain-adjunct lagers with minimal hopping and extremely clean, neutral fermentation character. The meaningful differences: Corona Extra is currently owned by Constellation Brands (for US distribution) and Anheuser-Busch InBev globally, it uses corn rather than rice as its primary adjunct, producing a slightly different neutral sweetness. Sol was historically brewed by Cervecería Moctezuma in Orizaba and is now owned by Heineken N.V., it uses rice adjunct, producing a marginally cleaner, less sweet finish. ABV: Corona Extra is 4.6% ABV; Sol is approximately 4.5–4.9% ABV depending on market formulation. In a blind tasting, distinguishing Sol from Corona requires focused attention and even then the differences are subtle, they occupy the same “light, refreshing, neutral Mexican lager” niche. For homebrewing purposes: this recipe produces a result that is closer to Sol’s rice-adjunct character, while the Corona clone recipe targets the corn-adjunct sweetness of Corona. The practical difference in the glass is approximately 2–3 malt character points on a 10-point scale, meaningful in a focused evaluation, irrelevant with a lime wedge in the bottle and beach sand on your feet.
