A Chelada is not a Michelada, and Green Cheek Beer Company draws that line explicitly with its latest release. Cheeky's Chelada is a Mexican-style lager finished with lime juice and sea salt and served over ice with a salted rim, skipping the Clamato and savory seasoning that define the Michelada style.
At 4.0 percent ABV, the brewery is positioning it as a sessionable option, something meant for several rounds rather than a single pour. The lime and salt carry most of the flavor work here, layered onto a straightforward lager base rather than a heavily hopped or spiced one, which keeps the beer's identity narrow and specific instead of trying to be several things at once.
The Michelada/Chelada distinction Green Cheek is drawing isn't just branding pedantry: a Michelada typically brings in tomato or Clamato juice, hot sauce, and often Worcestershire, building a savory, almost cocktail-like drink, while a Chelada sticks to beer, lime, and salt. Naming the release around that difference signals the brewery cares about the beer reading as a lager first, not a novelty mixed drink.
Cheeky's Chelada is available now in 4-packs, $14, at Green Cheek's Orange, Sunset Beach, Costa Mesa, and Oceanside locations.
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