Yahoo Taste Test of Regular Beers

Submitted by Steve-o:

Not too many surprises here.  From Yahoo online. Their reviews, not mine.

Coors Outscores Bud

Our experts conducted blind taste tests of eight top-selling regular and light beers, plus offering from Trader Joe's and Walgreen's. Winner: Coors Banquet, by, let's say, a field goal. It has balanced flavors with some citrus notes, and no off-tastes. Its a Consumer reports Best Buy, at $6.45 per six pack. Three runners up are Name Tag (Trader Joe's), Big Flats (Walgreens) and Miller High Life.                                    

All of the tested beers are lagers, which usually have a mix of floral, fruity, yeasty, malted-grain, and boiled-hop (pungent) flavors. Most are pale yellow and light-bodied, and don’t stay foamy for long. Other face-offs:

REGULAR VS. LIGHT

Light beer will save you about 20 to 50 calories per can (due to lower carbs and slightly less alcohol), but no tested light scored high enough to be very good. Best of the bunch is Miller Lite. Worst is Corona Light, a bitter brew with traces of tinny and sulfury off-notes.

PRICE VS. TASTE

Corona Light costs far more than higher-rated Miller Lite; and Corona Extra costs about twice as much as three better beers.

STORE BRANDS VS. BIG NAMES

Trader Joe’s and Walgreen's stood up to the competition, doing about as well as Miller High Life and besting Corona Extra and Bud.

CANS VS. BOTTLES

We tasted beer from cans, which may seem less refined than bottles, but they keep light, beer’s nemesis, from getting inside. Light can react with beer within weeks or even days to create compounds similar to those a skunk uses to defend itself.

BOTTOM LINE

None of these beers has enough complexity and balance to be excellent, but Coors comes fairly close.