The product most affected by the Corona virus pandemic: The story of Corona beer

Corona is a Mexican light yellow beer (lager) produced since 1925. The name means crown in Spanish.

Corona is a top-class beer produced by Grupo Modelo and sold in more than 150 countries. Corona, a light-tasting beer, is usually drunk with a lemon slice.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the beer saw some controversy due to its similarity in name to coronaviruses. There was some reduction in the sales of the brand in China, but not in the United States (where the brand is much more popular than in China and where sales of the brand actually rose by 5% in early 2020), and the sales slump in China affected various brands, not just Corona. 

Although it is known as Corona all over the world, its name is actually Corona Extra. Once the fastest-growing brand on the American market, it is today one of the best-selling beers. I would like to briefly talk about the story of the brand, whose skunk or marijuana smell is now identified with beer as a result of the light hitting the transparent bottle. It doesn't have a great story, they decided to sell it to America when it was number one in Mexico, and the result is the current legendary sales figures. It's time to get to the point.

Origin and history of Corona beer

Corona, one of the hundreds of beer recipes that have succeeded in continental America, lies in the core of the well-known country. Yes, I think you guessed it: Germany. Just like most beers, most recipes, and most manufacturers that appeared at that time. The work of immigrants from Germany. It was included in the product range of Grupo Modelo (Cervecreria Modelo), the largest producer of Mexico at the time and still the number one roof brand, in 1925 as a recipe for a pilsner.

Production of the brand was briefly suspended in April 2020 because of government orders to temporarily close businesses, although the sales of the brand had not been harmed by the brand name's similarity with the virus' name. The company said that sales of the brand were up 8.9% in the first three months of 2020, and showed year-over-year growth of 24% in the first three weeks of March 2020, as American consumers were drinking more beer and alcoholic beverages while staying at home during the emerging pandemic.

In 1926, Grupo Modelo started to produce beer in dark bottles in order to preserve and even improve the taste of beer. But they immediately realized that it was a big mistake from the sales figures and they turned to transparent bottles again. As the shape and color of the bottle have become identical to the Corona brand, it is now an indispensable part of the brand and one of the biggest elements of its success.

In the 10 years after its release, it has become Mexico's best-selling beer. In 1937, Grupo Modelo chose to position Corona as a higher quality and more premium product. This was due to concerns that the group included another alcoholic beverage called pulque, produced by fermenting the agave plant (also called maguey) sap and undermining each other's sales. The sales campaign for Corona Extra must have been successful, as the sales of pulque gradually decreased and it lost its popularity.

Over the years, sales have increased and investments have been made. Then the neighboring country America said, "What is this Corona, send it to us so we can taste it". Distribution started in the USA in 1976 and soon became number one in this country. It is also one of the top 5 best-selling beers in the world. It is exported to more than 150 countries.

I want to talk a little bit about the taste of beer. It doesn't actually taste like most American Pale Lagers, it has a very slight yeasty smell in the nose. That's why it's recommended to drink it cold. The colder the beer, the more aromas and flavors, and the more imperfections in the beer are hidden. This is the best way to hide the taste of these mainstream (Heineken, Becks) beers. The finish has very low bitterness, the body is watery and quite low. If the goal is to cool, yes it does the job well, that's for sure.

Why is Corona in a clear bottle? Is the taste unaffected?

Like Miller, Corona bottles are also transparent in color. Have you ever thought why this insistence when everyone is using dark-colored bottles? It's primarily about marketing. Admittedly, it's easy to see the beer out of the bottle and not be amazed by its color. Corona and Miller do this well.

The UV, carried by the sun's rays, breaks down the alpha acids in the hops and releases sulfur into the environment as a result of the reaction, which creates a disgusting odor similar to the one skunks release to drive away their enemies. Here, "skunk" is a term used not as an analogy, but to directly describe the smell. "Beers that make this kind of smell are called "skunked or skunky". It's not a scent we want for our beers, of course. Another term is "Lightstruck." You will unfortunately get this smell in every transparent bottle of Corona beer you drink. It becomes almost identical to Corona beer. The same goes for Heineken beers, it's a part of the beer and it's been produced and smelled like this for years.

Corona and Miller also developed a method to reduce this. First of all, the name of the molecule changed by UV rays is 3-methyl but-2-ene-1-thiol or 3-MBT for short. Instead of using hops, Miller and Corona use a modified hop extract to prevent light degradation of 3-MBT. Only one note needs to be made; This degradation, which normally occurs as a result of exposure to light for a few seconds, takes place in a much longer time instead of seconds, thanks to the extract used. But it still happens. In other words, this chemical reaction cannot be completely avoided.

A slice of lime or a slice of lemon, which is a very big part of the Corona drinking ritual, cannot be overlooked. “Why is Corona served with a lemon slice?” The question has occurred to every beer drinker at least once. I am also among those who are curious and have researched. Unfortunately, there is no answer to this question. Yes, where this legend started and how it spread is unknown. There are a few legends floating around. I want to sort them:

• One of the origins is thought to be of Mexican origin. A piece of lemon or lime stuck in the mouth of the bottled beer prevented flies from entering the beer.
• Another myth is that lemon cleans the mouth of the bottle. So this might not be quite right. It does not have such a strong cleaning feature, except that it is acidic after all.
• There is also a belief that bartenders in a coastal city in Mexico called Ensenada created this trend. It is said that the talk of putting lemon, which emerged with the claim of which one of us will start a trend, has survived to the present day.