Good suggestions, Tom. Don't be intimidated by a little bit of dark color, bigjohn. Beers like Downtown Brown, Newcastle and Dos Equis Amber are really quite mild and not necessarily high in alcohol.
I'm guessing you won't like the snappy German and Czech pilseners, but it never hurts to try.
I just bought 9 of the little Kulmbacher 5L mini-kegs at $10.99 each. Actually 6 Kulmbacher Pils and 3 Kapuziner Weisse (I forget the distinction between weisse and hefe-weizen, but wtf it's beer). They've made great improvements to the little mini-kegs if you remember the old ones - built in valves on top and bottom.
I tried one of the EKU mini-kegs this past weekend. Good, but not as nice as the Kulmbacher Pils. Spicier hops, little more raunchy malt flavor in the EKU.

well, i got good news and bad news.. the good news.. my wife called me at work yesterday and said that she had some free time and that she would go ahead and go to the grocery store.. YEAH!!! i was very happy that i wouldnt have to be going. now, the bad news.. i didnt get one of the beers from the lists ya'll gave me.. i did however, tell her to get me a six-pack of "whatever".. she laughed and said, "are you sure?".. i assured her that beer was beer, and the chances of her picking a bad one were very small.. after she got home, and we were unpacking our bags, i saw that she got me the mexican beer Bohemia. she knows i like mexican beer(sampatico, dos equis, tecate, negro, and more), so she thought i would like it. she also stated she liked the bottle cause it had a very bold, distinctive design. so does a plasma TV, but ya dont see her going out and pickin up one of those..

anyway, the beer was warm, so i didnt get to drink one last night.. i will have a few this evening, and give you my impressions. i am well versed with mexican beers, so hopefully this one will stand up to the others i have tried.

i HAVE written down the beers that ya'll have suggested, and i WILL give them a try..

bigjohn

Never had it, but I've been told it's one of the better mexican beers available.

I like it. It's different from the other Mexican beers - dryer, more distinctive flavor herbal hop flavor. Reminds me ALOT of Brahma beer from Brazil.

I adore Bohemia! That is, bar none, my favorite Mexican beer.

But you may not like it; like Mark said, it is not terribly sweet. I think it is the best Czech Pilsner brewed west of Prague. But that's probably because I don't get to Prague very often. I don't know if they use actual Saaz hops or not, but it is certainly that same floral hop aroma.

Yum. You're making me really thirsty.

BigWill, might I ask what EKU brew did you have? I had an EKU 28 this past weekend and I can't say that I've ever had anything like it. To me, it's more of an after dinner drink, but I can see it with fish maybe. Rather sweet, very smooth, no bite in the alcohol. Anyhow, at 11%, two of those would have my head spinning. Anyone who could handle a mini-keg of EKU 28 deserves some kind of award, that's if they could remember it.

OK, i had a couple of the Bohemias last night during the debate, and i really liked them. a lot of people use lemon slices in mexican beer, i didnt..

i dont know all the 'proper' terms for analyzing beer, but i will do my best. upon opening, the Bohemia did have a somewhat 'skunky' smell that is common with lots of mexican beers. although, it was not as strong of a smell as i have experienced with others. the taste was mildly firm, but not bold. there was more flavor on its way down, other than when first entering the palate. it had a very, very mild bitterness to it, not at all sweet. and the afterbite was pretty firm, just enough to remind you that you had just drank a pretty solid beer.

overall, i liked the Bohemias, but have tasted better mexican beers. it was good, but not my favorite. i would definitely recommend it to anyone, and think it would go great with a big plate of enchilidas w/beans and rice!!

EXTRA-- i almost forgot.. there was a good thing and a bad thing. the bad is, there is a foil covering that goes from about half way up the neck, and covers over the top of the cap. its no biggie, but when you pop off the cap, it leaves little foil strands that you have to peel back. this is nothing more than a mild nuesence, but i did get a piece of foil in the bottle, and that made for an almost 'spittake'.. the good thing is, the shape and neck design of the bottle make for a smooth and quick pour of the beer. no guggling or back-splashing. i found myself finishing each beer with 4-5 swigs.

thats all.. i know kinda lame, but i tried.. i will buy a different 'new' beer next week, and post my thoughts!!

bigjohn

Spock, I had the EKU Pils.

bigjohn, you may want to check with Tom for proper beer tasting procedures.
No limes in Bohemia, BTW. Use limes in Corona, Tecate, Carta Blanca, XX Green. I'm not a fan of Mexican beer, but to each his own, eh?

I'm not the beer-tasting Police. I just want bigjohn (and everyone else) to enjoy their beers.

And I also don't want to disappoint bigwill.

Pouring the beer into a glass yields greater opportunity to discern more flavor. Most of the nuanced flavors you perceive actually come from your sense of smell, so releasing those compounds (instead of keeping them literally bottled-up) makes it easier to fully experience the beverage. Likewise, especially with styles that are inherently more carbonated, pouring the beer into a glass releases some of the carbonation, thus dissipating the CO2 "bite" on your tongue, which not only tames the perception of bitterness, but also allows you to more easily perceive other flavors on the palate.

Got a case of that Deschutes Jubelale at Costco. Life is good.

Also had a Hoegaarden Wit beer a couple days ago. It was subtle and wonderfully complex. The coriander and curacao were not individually identifiable, but mingled with the yeast to provide the rich and distinctive flavor I'd missed for too long. It was fizzier than I remembered. Unique color, too.

I had dinner and a couple drinks at a great pub near the Oakland Marina today. I went with a known good beer to star off: Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, by North Caost Brewing. They served it properly at room temperature. Very tasty.

Next I went out on a limb and ordered what was described on the menu as "Think of it as a liquid cigar": Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer). It's a maerzen style beer made entirely of smoked malt. When the aroma first hit my nose, it reminded me of beef jerky. It tasted nothing like cigars, but it did have an intriguing smokey flavor. Unfortunately, the novelty wore off rather quickly and I found myself thinking it would have tasted better unsmoked.

Oh well. At least the Rasputin was good.