Hard To Imagine Anyone Ruining Corona’s Rep, but Heineken Apparently Tried…

corona
Photo by Sarah-Rose/CC BY 2.0

Likely few of us reading this are are Corona drinkers for many good reasons, and Atlas Obscura gives us another possibility…the rumor begun by Heineken in the 1970s that Corona was literally piss.

“Though the brand had only arrived to the United States in 1979, its rise to the top was almost immediate. Its allure as the “California surfer/life by the beach” beer of choice, made it a national favorite. Less than ten years after its arrival, it was second only to Heineken for imported beer popularity.

It seemed like nothing could stop Corona Extra, a product of the Mexican beer company, Grupo Modelo. But then, unexpectedly, stores begun to refuse to sell it, sales plummeted, and the entire country turned against it. The reason? A rumor that urine was one of its components.”

By the way, the article includes photos of Heineken cans and if you haven’t tried one because of the green skunky flavor of Heineken in a bottle, you might do so: it tastes vastly better, just like a good European lager should…