Fiebre de Malta

Although Mexico has a long history of brewing beer and exporting iconic brands such as Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate and Modelo on a massive scale, the advent of brewpubs and bars that specialize in serving a variety of craft beers in Mexico is a rather recent occurrence.

But gastropub, Fiebre de Malta, is now doing it in Mexico City, and doing it in a big way. Fiebre de Malta offers in excess of thirty draft beers and a vast assortment of both locally brewed and imported, bottled craft beer. Although the original location in Cuauhtémoc is nothing compared to the expansive new venue in Polanco, both offer the same lineup of beer and food. The recently inaugurated, expansive location in Polanco is designed and decorated beautifully.

The beer menu is clever. Very clever. They’ve created a “paint-chip” menu that fans out, like the ones you see at the big paint stores. The colors of each leaf of the fan range from light gold to dark brown based on the depth of color of the beer described on that leaf of the fan. The pilsners are shown on the light gold end of the color spectrum and the heavy, dark stouts are shown at the dark brown end of the spectrum. This isn’t just a catchy marketing ploy, it’s a brilliant way of exhibiting and explaining the phenomenally wide range of beer they offer. Each chip in the fan-style menu provides a range of technical information about each beer, from origin to alcohol content, to help the patron make an informed decision on which beer to try.

And to further aid in your beer education, FDM offers a sampler of eight beers (70 ml each) for about US$6 (120 pesos). You can see an example in the image-slider.

But what’s a beer without some good pub-food to accompany it? They have you covered there too. A wide range of finger-foods. The usual culprits. Hot wings, onion rings, and tacos. They have soups, salads and an array of main course items, some cooked with beer. There are plenty of vegetarian options with both salads and vegetarian sandwiches.

I tried the tacos. They were apparently so good I forgot to take a photo. I did get a shot of the braised rib sandwich I had in Polanco. The menu didn’t indicate whether it was pork or beef ribs. It didn’t really matter to me since I’m an equal-opportunity sandwich eater. But for the record. It’s beef. The menu said the cheese was gouda. Last time I checked, gouda was a light, creamy cheese. This was bright orange like the stuff they pour over nachos at American ballparks. The ratio of bread to meat was too high and the beef was a bit flavorless. It needed to be drenched in a little of that braising liquid. The French fries appeared to be of the frozen, bagged variety. Bottom line? What could have been a world-class sandwich was reduced to chain-restaurant quality due to lack of attention to details.

Service was good and the prices are amazingly low considering the location and décor in these restaurants.

Fiebre de Malta is a must-see for anyone that loves beer. What it lacks in soul due to its “chain-restaurant” personality, it makes up for in sheer variety. The food won’t likely win any culinary awards but it’s better than the average fare at a bar. We’ll be back soon to sample a variety of food items and update the review once we do. Sounds like a good excuse to try out a new paint chip.