by Beth Benson

Created on: June 16, 2008   Last Updated: May 22, 2011

Corona, also known as Corona Extra, is the top selling imported beer in the United States and in Mexico. It's commonly known for its fancy serving technique using a lime or a lemon as well as a bit of salt. Corona is described as an American Lager, yet originates from Mexico. Even though many view it as a Lager, many swear that it's a Pilsner type beer.

Corona is a typical Lager that pours with a pale yellow color and is very clear with a medium white colored head. When pouring a Corona, it seems to have an overabundance of carbonation. At first glance when you check out the bottle of a Corona Extra, you think the beer is going to be a mess. The top of the bottle is pretty with its white background and its bold lettering and its attractive fancy crest, but when you take a look at the bottom of the label, it's full of a large unattractive mixture of fonts and text sizes in different languages.

Corona Extra is 4.6% alcohol by volume and isn't one of the beers you want to choose to drink a lot of to get drunk, because it's not very cheap, but not overpriced either. This beer needs to be served ice cold as well, to get the perfect taste and aroma. There is almost no type of aroma of the beer except for a hint of grain and hops. Otherwise, it smells very bland.

The taste is very simple and very beer-like. It's only when you add the lime and the salt that you can taste the hops and get a real kick out of the beer's real taste. Corona doesn't have much of an aftertaste, but when it does have an aftertaste; it's a mix of corn and hops.

Because of the watery lack of taste without the lime and salt, it's very easy to drink up a few rounds of this brew without even noticing that you are drinking beer. However, Corona does have a weird way of giving that crisp refreshing, "ah" type relaxing result. I personally think it's the lack of flavor that gives that idea because if you are out in the hot sun or just finished up the evening jog, Corona becomes more of a thirst quencher than a sit and relax beer.

There seems to be a distinct difference between the Corona in a bottle and Corona in a can. The Corona canned is less likely to be enjoyed and to take the time to add the salt and the lemon, and tends to take on a more watery flavor. If you want to do it right, you need to grab the Corona Extra in a bottle, pop off the cap, slice a lime and run it around the edges of the bottle cap, sprinkle the top with some salt, add that lime into the bottle, and drink!

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