By Mercedes Mandich (Edited by David Mandich)

Baja Brewing Company's Jordan Gardenhire and Robert Kelly's began their forays into brewing while living in college dorms in Boulder, Colorado. Building on their dorm-room experimentations, they opened the first micro-brewery in Baja in Centro San Jose near Cabo San Lucas last Fall. They offer seven hand-made brews, their own Root Beer and gourmet pub cuisine.

Micro-brewery beer differs as much from commercial brand beers as homemade apple pie differs from a Pop-Tart. Baja Brewery duff is the real deal. Their beer conforms to the German brewing purity standard (Reinheitsgebot) of 1500 a.d. that requires brewers to use only use water, barley, and hops in their beers. This is the oldest food quality regulation in the world and results in beer that is lower in calories, rich in flavor, sans additives such as colorations, sugars, preservatives, and stabilizers. All the nasty things that make commercial beer taste like alcohol-laced, gassy soda pop. Finally - Custom made beers lack of adulteration, means virtually no hang-overs, or beer bellies.

The history of Mexican brewing can be traced back to the Aztecs and native Indians, who used maize as their grain base rather than the Old World's traditional use of barley. With the colonization of Latin America and Mexico came a surge of German immigrants in the early 1800's, as well as the brief Austrian reign of Emperor Maximilian, who never have traveled anywhere without his two German brew-masters. German influence has had a lasting impact on Mexican beers, with brands such as Negra Modelo and Dos Equis Ambar, both deriving from a malty subset of dark lagers known as Vienna style.

Today, Indians such as the Tarahumara in Mexico's Copper Canyon still make a potent corn based beer that the men use for relaxation, the communities use as payment for communal work projects, and in ceremonies wherein the men may be passed-out for 3-4 days at a time. Talking to their ancestors....

For the rest of us - there's roughly ten major commercial brands - Tecate, Corona, Modelo, Pacifico etc. that can be found everywhere in stores, depositos or your favorite cantina. Only six micro-breweries exist in all of Mexico including TJ's in Tijuana, the Beer Factory and Primus in Mexico City, Minerva in Guadalajara, Sierra Madre in Monterey and now Baja Brewery in Baja Sur. Anyone for a tour?

Most commercial beer uses artificial carbonation instead of the natural carbonation produced when yeast converts sugars to alcohol. Commercial beers can contain as much as 50% in alternatives to barley such as rice, corn, sugar, wheat, potato, etc. Many commercial breweries and wineries also use a gelatin called isinglass that is extracted from fish bladders in order to clarify the alcohol. In the United States and Mexico, there is no law requiring breweries to list their ingredients on labels. So if you want 100% pure beer - get a good hand-crafted micro-brew.

Baja Breweries duff takes 3 weeks to cook in their elegant 1,000-gallon copper clad steel fermentation tanks that one can view through the dining salon's stained glass wall. Using imported malted barley, they produce sumptuous selections ranging from rich lagers to pale ales with Cactus Wheat, Escorpion Negro and Peyote Pale being the most popular. The beer is available at dozens of Cabo´s area bars and hotels such as the Cabo Surf Hotel and Casa Dorado.

The brewery's restaurant menu has been described as"International cuisine with a strong local influence together with traditional pub fare." Translated - Fine steaks including Whiskey and Mushroom Marinated Grilled NY Strip Steak, Coffee Dusted Filet Mignon, wood fired oven-baked pizzas, seafood entrees, Blue-Cheese Burgers, Shepherd's Pie and much more. Foccacia bread and baked rolls are made with beer batter. Natch. Desserts include a wickedly delicious peanut butter chocolate cake, traditional carrot cake, mango tres leches cake and home made root beer floats for the truly homesick.

Find Baja Brewery on Morelos across from the El Encanto Inn in centro San Jose's Historic and Art District. Tel. (624) 142-146 9995 Open daily from 12 noon to 2am. Visa & MasterCard. Entrée prices range from $10US for burgers to $25US for filet mignon. Here's to beer! Salud!

David Mandich, has been living, writing and selling real estate in Cabo for 10 years. A Century 21 Agent and expert on Condos, Villas and Gated Communities, he can be emailed at: yachtdorado@yahoo.com or reached via telephone at: (From the USA) 1 520 204 1604, Local: 624-143-1011, Cel. 044 624 132 8919