By Maria Armental

Estrella Jalisco, a Mexican beer brought to the U.S. five years ago by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, has launched a new flavor, a twist on the classic michelada, along with an appeal for lexical recognition.

Tropical Chamoy Michelada is a traditional lager (3.5% ABV) that blends a sweet and tart taste of pineapple with a kick from clamato and chamoy, which packs a sweet-salty-spicy-sour flavor.

Chamoy--often described as a close relative of China's see mui and Japan's umeboshi and that National Public Radio once described as Mexico's flavor fiesta condiment--has been making its way into the U.S., popping up in a variety of food and drinks.

For Estrella Jalisco, which entered the U.S. market about five years ago, the tropical chamoy michelada was about a year in the works and somewhat of a logical follow to the Mango Michelada, which has been on sale now for a number of years and is now Estrella's top seller in the U.S., said Jayden Kahl, senior director of marketing.

"Mango adds a bit of sweetness into an already complex liquid," he said. "With the chamoy, it takes a complex liquid to be even more complex but in a beautiful, powerful, sensorial … type of way."

Mr. Kahl said the company was looking for "new, authentic" flavors, "and we saw chamoy, authentic to Mexico, really burgeoning in terms of its popularity."

Estrella is now petitioning Merriam-Webster to add chamoy to the dictionary.

"Diversity of flavor is a representation of the traditions and cultures that make up society," the petition on change.org reads. "Acknowledging those flavors is a vital step in creating a more inclusive vernacular and widening palates to new tastes."

Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-08-21 1214ET