Beer Review: Coors Banquet

Coors Banquet, Coors Brewing Company, Golden

Style: American Lager

ABV: 5 percent

Serving Type: The “new” 12-ounce bottle

Malty? Hoppy? Neither.

Reviewed: July 2013

Coors Original fits like an old college sweatshirt that we just can’t bring ourselves to get rid of. And drinking it is sort of like reuniting with an old friend—sometimes met with more resignation than cheery excitement—where we always know what we’re getting.

Coors Banquet started the same year the brewery did, in 1873 by Adolph Coors, and was then considered a craft beer (it was originally brewed for Golden’s miners). It’s since been, ahem, watered down by the craft beer boom and mass-market production, but the recent renaissance of the 1936 12-ounce glass bottle—originally used to save money on supplies and production—somehow makes the brew more appealing.

Even with its snazzy packaging, though, Coors isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is. At least, the heavily carbonated, Rocky Mountain rainwater version of the mass-marketed, American lager has a bite that its competitors lack. It fondly reminds us of Rockies’ games at Coors Field, Jazz at City Park, and summer cookouts—which goes to show that it’s an integral part of the Colorado experience. So, even if it isn’t our favorite beer, dammit, it’s our legacy. And it doesn’t look half bad in its stubby bottle, either.

Would we buy it again? We regularly pick up a 30-pack during the summer for BBQs and play dates in the park.

Bonus: We were pretty darn certain that Coors Light was our favorite mass-market beer until our staff blind taste test (hint: we were wrong).