TapHunter.com’s American Craft Beer Week blogging series continues (part 1 here) with a look at the US-influenced craft beer scene in Mexico, by Jeff Hammett. Above: Look familiar? Mexican craft brewers don’t have to look far for festival inspiration.

If you’ve ever been to Mexico, surely you know the situation. Whether you’re dining, sitting on the beach or partying in a club, the beer selection leaves a lot to be desired. Most bars and restaurants seem to have exclusive distribution contacts with one of the few big Mexican beer conglomerates, with no alternative in sight. Sound familiar? Like the changing landscape in America, things are slowly starting to change south of the border where the country is experiencing a craft beer revolution of its own. This American Craft Beer Week, we’re not only celebrating craft beer in the United States, but also its impact and influence in other countries. Namely, our neighbors to the south, in Mexico.

Craft breweries are popping up all over Mexico, many of which are brewing American style or American influenced beers. Cervecería Calavera is one such Mexican brewery with a US influence; their lineup of eight beers includes a hoppy American Pale Ale styled after those made famous by many West Coast breweries. Gilbert Nielsen of Calavera confirms this influence, “We are continuously awed by the wonderfully inspired new styles of beer brewed every day, and the enormous creativity that pours out of all craft beer taps in the US. But we especially admire the adventurousness and great zeal by which US craft brewers have confronted and overcome many of the commercial barriers once prevalent in the US. Well done!” Parallels can certainly be drawn between the current Mexican beer market and that of the US 30 years ago. A few mega-breweries control the market now, but as time passes and more craft breweries emerge, consumers will demand a wider variety of better beer. Although Calvera is not yet available in the United States, the brewery is working on it, but nothing is set in stone, yet.

If you find yourself in one of Mexico’s major cities, including just a few miles from the US border in Tijuana, keep an eye out for The Beer Box, a chain of craft beer stores focusing on craft beer from Mexico, Europe and the United States. The Beer Box tends to be one of the few stores for miles around selling beers from Cervecería Calavera, and many other Mexican craft breweries.

Thankfully for us, the popular Mexicali brewery Cucapa is distributed in the US. Based southeast of San Diego in Mexicali, Cucapa recently brewed what they claim to be Mexico’s first ever IPA. More widely available in the states is Cucapa’s Chupacabra Pale Ale that’s a hoppy yet balanced pale ale. It can be found at many bars and bottle shops in the US, along with their Honey ale that’s an “American blond.” Check out Cucapa’s lineup on Beer Advocate and you’ll see several American styles that are emulated in Mexican craft brewery’s beers.

The Mexican craft beer scene might be in its infancy, but there’s no denying that American craft brewers have, and will continue to have a huge impact on the movement. So the next time you’re craving a Tecate,  think twice and try to find something from one of our craft brewing brothers to the south.

Jeff Hammett’s passion for regional craft beer has no borders; besides managing a comprehensive guide to local beer with the San Diego Beer Blog, Hammett regularly travels to Mexico, where he lived for a couple years.  Read more about the upcoming Tourista Libre Tijuana Craft Beer tour that Hammett is co-organizing.