Modelo Especial
Mexico
Corn-adjunct Mexican lager at 4.4% ABV. Retail labels list 143 calories and 13.6g of carbohydrate per 12oz, about double a light lager's carbs.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- water, malted barley, corn adjunct, hops, lager yeast
- Congeners
- Low
- Histamines
- Low
- Polyphenols
- Very Low
- Sulfites
- Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Low
- Additives
- Low
- Calories
- 141
- Carbs
- 13.6g
12.3g ethanol at 4.4% ABV. 86 from alcohol, 54 from carbohydrate.
In its favor
- ✓4.4% ABV
- ✓Cold lager fermentation keeps biogenic amines low
- ✓Light hopping means a small polyphenol load
What to watch
- !Contains gluten from barley malt
- !13.6g of carbs is roughly four times Miller Lite's
- !Easy to drink in volume
Factor by factor
Congeners Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Very Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Modelo Especial is the full-bodied end of the Mexican lager style. Retail package labels list 143 calories and 13.6g of carbohydrate per 12oz at 4.4% alcohol, which is close to what the site’s formula predicts (ethanol plus carbohydrate comes to about 142).
Against the light lagers the difference is almost entirely carbohydrate: Modelo carries 13.6g where Miller Lite carries 3.2g. The brewer does not publish a sugar figure, so the calorie and carb numbers are given here in text rather than in the nutrition table.
Modelo Especial questions
How many calories are in a bottle of Modelo Especial? ▾
About 141 calories in a 12oz bottle at 4.4% ABV. 86 come from the alcohol and 54 from carbohydrate.
How many carbs are in Modelo Especial? ▾
13.6g of carbohydrate per 12oz bottle. The producer does not publish a sugar figure, and in beer most of that carbohydrate is unfermented starch and dextrins rather than sugar.
Is Modelo Especial gluten-free? ▾
No. Modelo Especial is brewed from barley and never distilled, so the gluten stays in the glass. It is not safe for coeliacs; look for a beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet instead.
Does Modelo Especial give you a bad hangover? ▾
Modelo Especial scores 4/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 6/10 for beer overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.