Back to the OP. I was raised on the Mexican border. In the 50’s and 60’s only one beer came with a lime (and salt) on the side and that was Tecate.
My Dad always ordered Bohemia. The beer was served sans lime.
In fact, Corona was served the same way…no lime or salt.
Somewhere I suspect a Public Relations person stepped in. Probably the same PR person who would have us believe Corona is a premium beer.
I like Pacifico (also by Modelo) and Tecate both better than Corona (another Modelo label). I’m not all that hot on Negra Modelo, but it beats the heck out of Corona IMHO. And no lime. Pacifico is hoppy tart on it’s own, I can’t imagine a lime in Negra Modelo.
Flies like beer. IIRC They are attracted to the malt sugar. This is true of flies and beer everywhere. Way back when, Germany passed a law that all steins must have lids to keep out insects. To say that the purpose of the lime is to keep away flies does not imply that Mexico has a bigger problem with flies getting in beer than any other country.
Had it served that way to me in the UK, actually. I saw the lime in the bottle and I was somewhat skeptical, but it turned out to be pretty refreshing. I still generally prefer it without, but I’ll tuck a lime in there on a really hot day.
It may be true that flies like beer, but they also like fruit. The OP proposed the theory the lime acts as a disinfectant, which may also not be unique to Mexican beer, but does imply something might need disinfecting, no? 
I usually drink Tecate or Pacifico, but frankly would rather have a Guinness than just about anything. If I was going to add lime to beer, it would probably be in a Rose’s bottle.
To describe it as a ‘form of disinfectant’ does have a certain taint of ‘dirty foreigners’, inadvertent or not.
Doug Bowe seems to be hitting the nail on the head.
Modelo Especial as a dinner beer, and Tecate as a lawnmower beer. Neither with lime.
A good Berliner Kindl is wonderful on a hot summer day.
You sure you didn’t have a Radler, per chance? A Radler is basically like a British shandy, made with 1/2 beer (wheat beer, in this case) and 1/2 lemon-lime soda.
I have a bottle of Waldmeister syrup at home, and it doesn’t really taste much like lime. I’m not sure what it tastes like, but I must say that a Berliner Weisse tastes better on its own.
I never actually addressed the OP…
I first saw lime wedges in beer when I first saw Corona. I was told it was to knock the skunk flavor off of it. I’ve had Coronas now and then, and some have a lot more skunk flavor than others. I think it has a lot to do with the freshness of the batch. FWIW, Pacifico has the same variable quality here, but in Mexico they were much more uniform.
The OP has been answered as completely as it’s likely to be. And you just knew this would turn into an IMHO thread…so…off to IMHO.
samclem GQ moderator
One would hope.
This thread is opinions about drink.
Moved from IMHO to CS.
A bar I used to go to served a “Redneck on Vacation”, which was a PBR with lime in it. The taste was definitely improved, and we’ve since used this trick with any cheap American lager.
I don’t usually go in for the Schlitzes and Strohs of the world, but something about the sourness of the lime highlights the crispness in the otherwise bland beer, getting it closer to a shandy. Limes in Negra Modela seems crazy, but to all their own
Don’t heffe weizen (sp? wheat beers) often come with a slice of lemon?
Sometimes. I had a cloudy wheat beer in Holland that was served with a slice of lemon and crushed corriander seed.
I don’t think there’s anything prejudicial about that. Folks visiting Mexico from farther north who drink tapwater usually experience some intestinal distress from the unfamiliar critters dwelling therein.
This is bound to lead to a certain amount of paranoia about what you drink.
Anybody who thinks for a moment about the process of brewing beer will realize that adding a squeeze of lime to a finished beer isn’t going to do anything that boiling the wort didn’t achieve, of course.
Think we could go for the trifecta and get this moved to GD?
Not always. I used to frequent a place that served Erdinger Weissbrau on tap. I always asked for a lemon wedge and the bartender usually winced when I did.
Although I’ve never come across this, this kind of makes sense, especially if it was a Belgian witbier you were drinking. Belgian whites are normally flavored with dried curacao orange skins and coriander seed. Hence the whole Blue Moon with a slice of orange thing.
I also seem to recall reading somewhere that canned Corona beers are purposely irradiated somewhat because the slight skunkiness is part of what consumers expect. However, I can’t for the life of me remember where I read this, and I doubt I’m just making it up.
If that is true I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that people pay premium prices for a sub-standard lager is sad enough. That people are paying extra for deliberately flawed beer is just too much to handle. Then again, some people claim to like Rolling Rock too.