Coors Light

Lore & Background

In 1941 Coors introduced a lower-alcohol beer called Coors Light. The beer was discontinued after one year on the market. Coors Light was reintroduced in 1978 to compete with Miller Lite as a 'diet beer'. Coors markets its other product, Coors Banquet Beer as 'America's fine light' because it was lighter in body and color than other beers when it was introduced. This has created confusion between the Coors beers, despite the beers being of different recipes and calorie levels. This confusion has been aggravated by the marketing of Coors Light simply as Coors in Europe.

Reader's Guide

Coors Light has a 'Cold Certified' label which turns the mountains on the label from white to blue when the beer's temperature is lowered to 39°F. The success of this packaging gimmick has led to the phrase 'Mountains are Blue' becoming a popular saying among working-class Western Americans. Coors Light has a 'mountain icon' to represent the beer as part of the logo. As of 2020, the icon is a stylized drawing of a mountain with two peaks, along with the removal of their famous 'cold lined' can conditioning blue liner. Coors Light advertising highlights the quality of the beer as the most refreshing place on earth. Additionally, Coors Light ads are designed to target young demographics. The brewery introduced the tagline 'perfect shot of refreshment' under the slogan of a 'Silver Bullet', a symbol of the silver can that holds the beer.

Did You Know?

• The Canadian version of Coors Light is 4.0% ABV and brewed by Molson Coors Canada Inc. in Moncton, New Brunswick; St. John's, Newfoundland; Longueuil, Quebec; Toronto, Ontario; and Chilliwack, British Columbia.
• In Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Coors Light is labeled as 'Coors'.
• Coors Light's primary competitors are Miller Lite and Keystone Light, both also owned by Molson Coors, and Bud Light, owned by AB InBev.
• Since 1998, Coors Light has sponsored numerous LGBT pride parades and events. MillerCoors is the primary sponsor of the Coors Light Denver PrideFest.