In a taste test of 10 full-calorie and light beers, Consumer Reports announced that Chicago-based MillerCoors’ Coors brand ranked No. 1 in terms of taste. Coors beat St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser and Bud Light brands, as well as store brands including Monrovia, Calif.-based Trader Joe’s Name Tag brand and Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens’ Big Flats brand. Name Tag and Big Flats also ranked higher than Budweiser and Chicago-based Crown Imports’ Corona Extra brand, according to the magazine’s survey.

To determine the best brews, the experts at Consumer Reports conducted blind taste tests of 10 beers, made up of eight top-selling regular and light beers plus two store brands. Although none of the beers achieved an “excellent” rating, Coors, which scored “very good” but not quite high enough to be rated “excellent,” came close, standing out for balanced flavors with citrus notes and no off-tastes, Consumer Reports noted.

In addition to earning the highest marks in Consumer Reports' taste tests, Coors was deemed a Consumer Reports Best Buy along with runners-up Name Tag, Big Flats and Miller High Life.  

Consumer Reports tests also found that in addition to taste, consumers keep calorie content, price and packaging format in mind. Light beer has 20 to 50 fewer calories in each serving due to lower carbohydrate levels and slightly less alcohol, but no light beer scored high enough to earn a “very good” rating, according to Consumer Reports. The taste test ranked Miller Lite as the best of the light beers.

The Consumer Reports taste test featured beer from cans, which do a better job than bottles in blocking out light, the publication said.

The complete beer ratings are available in the February issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.consumerreports.org.