No, not the futbol team. (I thought Juarez already had a soccer team.)
No, the big news is that the Kentucky Club is now selling Corona.
Bars in Mexico have long bought into the “tied house” model. The tied house system requires that bars sell only a certain family of brands. In the heavily regulated U.S. alcoholic beverage industry, tied houses have been illegal since the end of prohibition.
In Northern Mexico, most bars sell only the Tecate family of brands, including Indio and Carta Blanca. Tecate package stores outnumber the Modeloramas by ten to one.
The Kentucky Club has only sold Tecate beers for as long as I can remember, or at least since they took the Cruz Blanca off tap. But last Wednesday, the Kentucky Club started also selling the Corona family of brands, including Modelo (and Bud Light!).
What financial machinations took place to implement this seismic shift? What economic incentives? What backroom deals?
Who knows?
But it’s good to have choices. And Modelo Especial is one of my favorite beers.
It’s a hassle going into the Kentucky Club these days. First one has to wait in line to get in and then it’s full of adolescents. Hence I am boycotting for the time being…
They must have been busted for operating at over-capacity. I remember when it took half an hour to get from the front door to the bathroom because of the crowd. These days it’s a stroll.
Geriatric me almost only goes at off-peak hours, so I’m rarely stymied.
Fortunately, the K Club isn’t the only bar in Juarez. El Recreo is good, as is Club Quince, if the juke box isn’t blaring. But I’m sure I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know.