I'm not bragging but I've probably seen Smokey and the Bandit 20 times* but it wasn't until reading this article in GQ that I put two and two together and realized that the beer Smokey is transporting -- the point on which the plot begins and turns -- is Coors!
Coors might not have much cache today but that wasn't true in the '60s and '70s. There are pictures of Paul Newman drinking it; Benjamin Braddock drank it in The Graduate; Steve McQueen is rumored to have asked for it on his deathbed.
You might think the Coors of old tasted like liquid gold, but apparently the only thing that's changed about it is people's perception.
And the law. Until 1981 Coors wasn't allowed to be sold west of the Mississippi River. This created a supply/demand issue, and rarity got confused for quality. Now that the beer is as ubiquitous as air, no celebrities are caught drinking it. GQ still recommends it and says the only way to enjoy it is at
near freezing temperatures. Hint: If the beer has to be near-freezing
to be enjoyed it isn't a good beer.
While I'm not going to run out and buy a case of "banquet beer" anytime soon, I do know what I'm drinking next time I watch Smokey and the Bandit.
*Though not since I was 16.
Image via Flickr: Swift Benjamin
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As someone who was a shipping clerk in the '70s, I can remember countless incidents of packing up cases of Coors for some visiting bigwig to take back east to corporate HQ.
Personally, I liked it a lot back in my younger days when I didn't care much for the taste of beer. Since Coors didn't have a whole lot of flavor, it was my beer of choice. If you drank it ice cold, it wasn't a whole lot different from water.
Eventually I developed more of an appreciation for beer and started drinking the good stuff. My beer of choice these days is Boulevard Wheat.
Paul Newman switched to Schaffer when he was filming Slapshot in Pennsylvania. THAT tells you all you need to know about Coors excellence.
The little liquor distributor down the street from me in Delaware County is the one who got the law changed. He would take a tractor trailer west until he filled it. Ol' Joe tried everything to stop him and eventually lost in court.
Now if you want a good AMERICAN beer, go East for Yuengling Lager and Black&Tan.
Well�for an example of the American lager style, Coors Original is actually a pretty good choice. I�ve only ever had it on tap, but it is light and doesn�t carry a sour adjunct taste that a lot of American lagers (especially light lagers) can possess.
Schlitz Gusto is another story � it is far more bitter than typical American lagers and more reminiscent of German pils to me, with an additional roasted corn taste & aroma. I surprised myself at how much I liked it, given my long-standing (and slowly-eroding) disdain for macro lagers.
I dunno. I�m not a big fan of the style, but if someone wanted to try a good American macro lager I would probably point them to those 2 beers (and Budweiser) as the ones to get. Then suggest they try some American lagers from smaller breweries :) (it is too bad we don�t get Full Sail Session Lager out here; it�s fantastic)
I think this just shows you that most beer EVERYWHERE used to be really bad. That's why I don't get the whole Schlitz retro revival thing. Wasn't that the beer that make Coors look like liquid gold?
As a certified Coors taster* I can tell you it's never been that great. My favorite story about the "Coors Mystic" is that supposedly President Ford would make Air Force One stop to pick up a case whenever they flew by.
*It's true. I was certified last time I did a brewery tour in Golden, CO. Really they just picked us out of a crowd, took us into a back room where we tried samples and gave feedback. Certainly my proudest accomplishment.
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