Beer Review- Gringo 09

Seeing that it's Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be fitting to finally getting around to reviewing The Gringo. This is the second year that I've made this beer, and it has definitely improved over last year. Last year I decided to brew an "Imperialistic" Mexican Lager. I tried to think of something that would be my own twist on the "Imperial" everything that seems to dominate beer today. Not really sure what I was going to end up with, I was pleasently suprised by the result, but it still wasn't as good as it could be. This time around I had a much better idea of what I wanted. I wasn't aiming so much for a big, imperial beer, more of a hoppy-citrusy Mexican cerveza. For a final touch, I decided to add some Agave Nectar, which is very similar to honey and one of the main ingredients in Tequila.
The Gringo 09 has turned out very well, and while I think it could use a few minor tweaks, I think I'm definitley in the ballpark of what I want. Here's my official review:
The Gringo pours a dark straw yellow, crystal clear with a thick, foamy white head. An aroma of citrus and honey right away, with some nice grapefruit notes. Smooth at first with a lot of sweetness , and some hoppy puckering. The agave is there, in fact a little too much, I think it hides some of the hops. But they are not lost in the sweetness, as there is still a very hoppy presence. It finshes smooth with a lingering honey sweetness and some citrusy hops.

Overall, I'm quite happy. It's smooth like a lager, but the hops and the agave make it interesting. "Americanized" to the point of almost being unrecognizable as a "Mexican lager." My only complaint is that instead of using 12 oz of Agave in the secondary, I think 1/2 to 3/4 of that would have been better, allowing the hops to come to the forefront more. However, I think this is very drinkable, unique and is on the right path. I gave a couple bottles to Friday Night Beer Blog and he said it was like a hoppy Corona. What I was aiming for!
Here's the recipe:
3 lbs Organic Pilsner Malt
.5 lbs Organic Cara-pils
.5 lbs org. Munich
.15 lbs org Vienna
Mash @ 154 for 1 hour
4 lbs Organic Light DME
2 lbs Cane Sugar

Hops:
.35 oz Centennial Hops (9.1 % AA) @ 60
1 oz Centennial Hops @ 15
.50 Centennial @ 10
1 oz Cascade @ 5
.50 oz Centennial @ 2
1 oz Cascade @ 1
.65 oz Centennial @ flameout

Wyeast 2112 Cali Yeast
12 ounces Light Agave Nectar in Secondary
Lager for 2 weeks @ 35 degrees.

Salud!
Bearded Brewer