When reading through the internet, you will often get conflicting views of Coors Banquet and Coors Original. Are they the same beers, with Coors Original being a rebranded version of the Banquet, or are they two separate drinks with different qualities, tastes, and aromas? Here’s a thorough analysis and a breakdown of the two beers so that you can be a better judge of the situation.
Coors Banquet coming to life
Who doesn’t love an ice-cold beer with buddies after work while exchanging the day’s news and laughing about a hilarious story someone told you? Now, imagine if someone was to give you a refreshing beer after working underground for an entire day!
This “original” showstopper which was nicknamed the banquet beer back in the day, the drink was a favorite among miners in Clear Creek Canyon, who, after a long, hard day of work, drank it in banquet halls or tents. The miners back then had to work with their hands to manually dig holes and install dynamites to set off controlled blasts.
But that’s not all; the rubble and pieces of rock would then have to be removed by loading them up in buckets and bringing them up to the surface. The work was not only painstaking but also dangerous and could even lead to death with potential collapses, fires, explosions, and accidents resulting from the equipment used. Beer, along with a nutritious meal, was heaven for them after these daily experiences.
Coors Banquet was brought to life in 1873 by Adolph Coors, who started his Golden Brewery right where he could find the perfect water for his beer, the water from Clear Creek, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado. But back then, it was called Coors, officially adding Banquet in 1937, after prohibition in Colorado, in remembrance of its first customers, the miners!
About Coors Banquet
The Coors Banquet beer is an American-style lager with a sweet flavor and fruity notes of bubble gum, banana bread, rich malt, and corn. Due to this, it is easy to stomach, especially for those who consider beer to be bitter or have an overwhelming taste. It is a pale straw or golden in color and has an ABV of 5% and an IBU of 15. For every six-pack, you pay $8, making it quite affordable. So, if you are a budget-minded, picky drinker, the low cost is a perfect bargain!
When you pour it, you see a medium head that disappears in two minutes. The ingredients used to make Coors Banquet are water, hop extract, yeast, corn syrup, and barley malt. Out of these, corn syrup is consumed by yeast during the process and is not present in the final product. While fruity and subtly sweet, the carbonation provides a crisp and clean taste, balancing the sweetness out perfectly.
Its fermentation process is classic and traditional, with a closed horizontal box fermentation at cold temperatures that lasts 30 days and filtration with Enzinger. And it uses Huppmann kettles for brewing.
The beer is available on draft and in bottles and cans in most of the United States and is sometimes called a Yellow Jacket because of its yellow label. While it is highly sought after by Canadians, the beer isn’t available in Canada.
About Coors Original
Coors Original, a golden Lager, gives off aromas of freshly baked bread with hints of pear and banana and is inspired by the Coors Banquet. The company and brand promise uncompromising quality with a perfect balance and blend of aromatic hops, making it a refreshing beverage available at the same price as the Coors Banquet. It is everything that the Banquet gives you, even having the same alcohol content of 5% ABV. So why the name change? The main reason is that it was to be sold in Canada, but there were copyright issues.
And while it promises the same great taste, there are minor differences. The company says that the Coors Original is also a full-bodied American-style lager, but when people try it, they find it to be lighter than the Coors Banquet. with a malty and more robust taste and flavor than the Banquet.
It was launched in 1978 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company and is specifically marketed to customers who appreciate the company’s heritage and have their taste adapted to the original formula. The brand is brewed in Nova Scotia at St. John’s, making it the first place to place a beverage from the company outside of the famous Golden, Colorado. It is available on draft and in bottles and cans in some parts of the United States but everywhere in Canada.
Now, while Coors Banquet is still brewed at its parent site, Coors Original has taken over the globe after its merger with Molson, a Canadian brewer, and has eight plants world-over.
Which is better?
Many people think that Coors Banquet has a higher overall quality than the original, especially because of the purer Rocky Mountain water that gives it a better mineral composition that other breweries manufacturing Coors Original don’t have access to. And they might be on to something because people have picked up on minor yet noticeable differences in taste, flavor, and aroma between the two.
While the company vows that there is no difference, consumer preferences have dictated that the Coors Banquet is better than the Coors Original. There was even an online petition started in 2019 asking Molson Coors to bring Coors Banquet back to Canada!
But what YOU think of the two and which one you think is better is subjective. All taste buds are different because we are genetically unique, excluding identical twins, of course. So others might or might not appreciate what you like or don’t like. But, at the end of the day, your opinion counts above all else. If you think you prefer the Original over the Banquet, then have it without any guilt.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
