Place the bacon in a large deep-sided skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, flipping occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, crumble the bacon.
Wipe out the skillet and then add the corn kernels to the pan. Cook over high heat in the dry pan. Sprinkle the cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper over the corn and stir to coat. Stir occasionally so the corn starts to char a bit.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the corn and mix everything together. Stir the corn mixture every few minutes until it begins to stick in the pan.
Pour the beer into the pan to deglaze. Stir in the beer and cook until the corn has darkened and has char spots on the kernels, about 20 minutes
Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
You can skip the bacon to make this a vegetarian side dish.
To save on pre-prep time, I usually chop the veggies while the bacon is cooking.