What Kind Of Beer Is Coors Banquet Anyway?

Coors Banquet is one of those beer brands you always see at the store next to other macro brews like Budweiser, Miller, Michelob, and the like. But just what type of beer is it? This answer's easy: It's an American lager. Lagers, which are the most popular type of beer in the world, are defined by the fact that the yeasts used to brew them ferment at the bottom of the fermentation tank rather than congregate at the top (which is how ales ferment).

Yeasts used for lager can withstand cooler temperatures than those used for ales, and that colder brewing process means there's less fermentation byproduct. As a result, what you end up getting is a clear, crisp beer that drinks well at cold temperatures. Those other brands previously mentioned, Budweiser, Miller, and Michelob, also produce lagers. These are the beers that are just as comfortable at a Seinfeld-themed sports bar as they are in a cooler at a backyard barbecue. There's nothing like a sip of cold lager after a few bites of Buffalo wings, loaded nachos, or cheese curds.

The name Coors Banquet is a little confusing, because if you're not familiar with the brand, you might think the word banquet refers to its style of beer. But the "banquet" part actually refers to the brand's history. Adolph Coors founded Coors brewery in 1873 in Golden, Colorado, and immediately struck gold, one could say, with a fan base of local miners. Mining is strenuous and dangerous work, so the miners were known to throw back a few after a long day in the mines along with a big meal. Because the beer had a reputation of being served at banquets big or small, the name just sort of stuck.

I guess things haven't changed too much in modern times. We still drink beer as a part of our gatherings (maybe less actual banquets, these days). And though Coors Banquet isn't exactly nuanced like beer from a craft brewery, a cold lager always has its time and place. To some, tossing back a can of Coors Banquet that's 50 years past its prime is basically the same thing as love.