Why is lime traditionally put in Corona beer?

Question

I've heard it's either to keep flies away as they don't like citrus, or because the bottles were covered in all sorts and the lime took the taste off the scatty bottles.

There's a £100 bet going on this

Answer 1

Because it's a Mexican beer and traditionally Mexican beer is served with lime. Next time when having a Corona, put a shot of Bacardi Limon in it. It's really good..The citrus flavor brings out additional flavors within the beer. Most commonly, people may squeeze a lemon into a glass of hefeweizen (wheat beer) to give it extra tanginess. People squeeze a lime into Corona...because without the lime it would taste like water

Answer 2

That last answer was close, but get ready, because here is the official real reason/answer.

Basically it's all about the bottle. Corona was a rather cheaply made beer, in a cheap bottle. They save money by putting it in a clear bottle. The reason that colored bottles are better is because it keeps light out. When light, and perhaps especially sunlight, hits a clear bottle, it obviously goes right through and hits whatever is inside. The problem with this is that it causes free radicals to be released in the massive amount of only a few parts per billion. However, we are extremely sensitive to what is released - the chemical composition is nearly identical to what is in a skunk's glands. Obviously you've heard of skunky beer before, and this is what they are talking about. Now, when you have a dark bottle, it slows down this process tremendously, almost completely, but the bottles cost more to produce. It's the same kind of deal with Turner milk putting their milk into solid yellow containers, but they cost a little more.

So basically, when confronted with this issue, the marketers at Corona came up with a rather simple way of combating this skunkiness - suck a lime while drinking, and it was a huge hit. Other beers don't taste as good with a lime because they are typically in a colored bottle or solid can and don't have these free radicals in them.

So yes, in a nutshell, the reason why lime is served with Corona is that it's a skunky beer in a cheap bottle, and the lime counteracts this, while giving it a fun twist.

Answer 3

The lime was originally served only with canned Tecate. The cans used for Tecate gave the beer a metallic taste and running a lime around the rim of the can eliminated this off flavor. American college students who were in Mexico for Spring break liked Corona because of the unique clear glass bottle and embossed label. But they didn't understand why the Tecate drinkers got a lime and they didn't so they would ask the bartender for a lime in their beer. The Mexican waiters thought they were crazy, cause why would you need a lime with a bottled beer, but hey, the customer is always right, so the began serving Corona, and later other Mexican beers with a lime. And thus a tradition was born from a misunderstanding.

Answer 4

You wipe the top of the bottle and sprinkle salt on it so it tastes better. Then you push the rest of the lime wedge into the beer. The lime is supposed to keep the flies from getting into the bottle or landing on it. If you want to try a good Mexican beer, try Modelo or Negra modelo (Dark beer). Also, Bohemia and Carta Blanca are very good as well. Hardly anyone really drinks Corona in Mexico. It's more of a trendy beer here in the States.

Answer 5

Technically, it is served with the Corona. While in Mexico, I learned a better method of enjoying the flavor kicker, which was to suck the lime just before taking the sip, be it from a bottle or glass. This way, you get that sour shot just before the beer.

If you are lucky, you get two slices of lime per bottle, and can take a deeper pull from the lime before taking the pull from the beer.

Answer 6

You probably didn't want to know this, but it's just a marketing gimmick. Of course the lime adds some interest to what is otherwise rather bland beer (incidentally, it's not just Corona but also Sol, XX, Tecate, etc.), but it has no historical or other similar 'real' basis. Somebody just came up with it as a way of distinguishing the Mexican beers from the rest of the market when they were first being mass-marketed in USA back in the 70s.

Answer 7

It def. is because of the flies - and it wasn't served IN corona, it was rubbed on the rim of the bottle or glass, and then stuck on the rim in case needed again. To keep the flies from landing on it. Putting it IN and all that was a modification over time becasue people thought it was cool.

Answer 8

actually, the original caps on the bottles were made if tin and the tin would rust into the bottle and leave a orange rust ring around the lip, the lime made the beer taste better.

Answer 9

The lime is used to keep away the bugs

Answer 10

Because nobody can stand the taste of that cheap Mexican Sh** without it. Tastes good with though. Actually almost any pilsner beer tastes good with lime in it.