Tona Beer Review: A Refreshing Adjunct Lager for Beer Lovers

The Tona beer is a classic example of an adjunct lager but identifies with the Nicaraguan culture, so you’re in for a surprising ride. The malty beer offers the perfect balance between a light body and refreshing taste, so it’s no wonder that it’s a best seller in Central America.

If you’re looking for a drinkable lager to have with friends, the Tona lager is a fantastic option. Our review covers all you need to know about this light lager, so take a closer look below.

Tona Beer Stats

Tasting Notes

Tona Beer Review

Tona Cerveza is an American adjunct lager or a pale lager brewed in Nicaragua. The beer has a 4.6 percent alcohol content with a character consisting of malts and grains. Brewed by Industrial Cervecera S.A, the crisp beer features a light body with flavors and aromas of malts, crackers, grains, and light hops.

Pour the lager into a pilsner glass to get the most out of it, as the tall glass with no curves will prevent the beer’s head and retain its carbonation. If you don’t have a pilsner glass, other good choices include a pint glass, stein, or pub mug. The beer should be served very cold, at 35 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be garnished with a lemon slice.

The Tona lager is the ideal refreshing beer when drinking with friends, watching a game, or even pairing it with typical American dishes.

– Appearance

The adjunct lager pours a pale straw yellow into the glass, and on top of this is a foamy white head that has decent retention.

The head fades after a couple of minutes and leaves very little lacing in your glass. It quickly looks as if it was poured an hour ago.

– Aroma

On the nose, Tona lager smells mostly of spicy malts. The beer has a light malt aroma with a  touch of grain, and it’s very mild. You might also notice some slight hops in the form of a skunky, leafy scent. It smells sweet and grainy and will remind you of cornbread.

– Mouthfeel

The Tona adjunct lager has a very light mouthfeel and a lot of carbonation, giving you a prickly feeling against your palate.

It offers a clean finish and goes down easily in a drinkable nature. Some beer lovers might consider this to be a bit watery, but it is still fizzy and crisp.

– Flavor

The flavor of the beer follows the aroma and is very malt-forward. The malts are balanced with a lot of grains, and the hops barely come through. It has a clean taste with hints of grass, corn sugar, and lemon.

The beer is cleaner than most macro lagers, and you get a lot of barley malts in the flavors, with the grass and cardboard being light. The flavor is simple, reminding you of white bread with some grains mixed in. It is refreshing and light, ideal for consumption in warm climates.

– Food Pairings

If you have the Tona lager, you should go for bold and flavorful dishes. Since the beer is light and crisp, it offers a nice contrast to these foods, with a palate-cleansing character. Try out herby chicken, spicy food, and typical American food like burgers, pizza, fries, noodles, and anything with a lot of creamy cheese.

You can try the beer with grilled pork and chicken, shellfish, pasta dishes without creamy or meaty sauces, light seafood and sushi, and Latin, Southeast Asian, and Mexican food. Salads are also a good pairing, as well as buffalo wings and spicy dishes.

If you’re looking for something sweet, try out crème brulee, carrot cake, or a caramel cheesecake. Any light and equally sweet dessert like milk chocolate or chocolate bread pudding will pair well. Pair this domestic lager with Havarti and cheddar cheeses.

Ingredients

The exact ingredients of the beer are unknown, but you should know that it is made with purely natural ingredients and natural mineral water. The expected ingredients in the beer include malts, hops, and yeast. It is malt-forward, while the malt flavors barely come through.

Nutrition Facts

In the Cerveza, you get an alcohol content of 4.6 percent, which is expected for a macro lager. The beer features 150 calories in every 12-ounce serving, and this is pretty decent for the beer style. Aside from this, there are 13 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein.

Consider the nutrition facts when calculating your daily dietary requirements. The beer is not recommended for those on a keto diet as it is a high-carb alcoholic beverage. It is also not gluten-free due to the malts used to make the beer, but the beer is vegan-friendly.

History

The Tona is brewed by the Industrial Cervecera S.A. or Compania Cervecera de Nicaragua. The beer was first founded in 1976 and quickly established itself as the most loved beer in the country, especially since it is made with natural ingredients. It is brewed with water from the Southern Basin of Xolotlan Lake and uses a zero-waste process.

Tona was first launched as a direct competitor to Victoria beer, but when the brewery underwent a merge, the beer was relaunched as a traditional Nicaraguan beer with a focus on local customs. Today, the lager is being exported around the world.

Conclusion

The Tona lager is the ideal choice for any beer lover looking for an American lager to have with friends or food or both. Our review covered all you need to know, and here’s a summary:

• The Tona beer is an American adjunct lager with a 4.6 percent ABV from Industrial Cervecera in Nicaragua.
• The beer has aromas and flavors of malts, grains, crackers, and mild hops in the form of grass and lemon.
• It is made with natural ingredients and natural water.
• Enjoy it best in a pilsner glass when served cold with a lemon slice.
• The beer pairs well with bold flavors, American foods, spicy dishes, cheddar cheese, and light desserts.

You can easily get the Tona lager at different liquor stores that sell beer, whether online or in person.