As they surveyed the landscape of Mexican beers, the best that Isaac Showaki and Andrés Araya could come up with was Bohemia—and even that is “far from great,” Showaki says. When the pair, who met five years ago while working for a consulting firm in Mexico City, began developing their beer brand, 5 Rabbit, in conjunction with creative director Randy Mosher (an instructor at the Siebel Institute and author of several beer-brewing guides), they knew they could top Bohemia in every way, from color to aroma to taste.
“Our mission is to communicate our vision of Latin America through beer,” Araya says. That means paying homage to traditions (such as the Aztec deity 5 Rabbit, who symbolizes excess), as well as to contemporary Latin American culture. While 5 Rabbit eventually plans to open its own facility, for the next year or two the company is contract-brewing its first three beers out of Argus Brewery (see this page). The roster includes 5 Lizard, a “Latin-style wheat beer,” as Showaki describes it, with a touch of passion fruit; 5 Vulture (to be released later this month), a maltier amber-colored beer intended to pair with more complex Latin American cuisine like mole; and 5 Rabbit, a golden ale with fruity, spicy flavors. “We wanted to do something that when we put [5 Rabbit] next to Bohemia,” Showaki says, “people would say, ‘Oh, my God, this is 100 times better.’ ”—Julia Kramer
5 Rabbit beers are sold at Binny’s and Whole Foods, as well as at beer bars such as Map Room and Local Option.
