The 1980s were a decade filled with partying and drinking, and beer was a key part of the fun. Many popular beer brands were introduced during this time, and a few of these have stood the test of time. As the era of disco-dancing and leisure suits comes to a close, the 1980s are one of the golden ages for beer drinking. Here are some beers that were booming in popularity during the 1980s:
Coors Banquet Beer
This beer was not any better than a lager made with rice, but it was scarcer at the time, and the only ones that were available were exclusively distributed in only 13 western states. Coors claimed that not only could they not produce enough beer, but also that their unpasteurized beer had to be distributed strictly through trucks that had refrigeration so that it wouldn’t spoil.
Because there was a mystery about what the beer entailed, soon people from the east coast of America were smuggling many cases of the beer back home after a visit out of town. So, in 1977, Coors put a newspaper ad in “The Washington Post” requesting people to not buy Coors beer. There was even an action movie released in 1977 starring Burt Reynolds called “Smokey and the Bandit,” about a trucker being dared to steal a truckload of Coors beer.
Some argue that this was a clever advertising tactic by the manufacturers. Regardless of the truth, the Coors craze eventually settled once they began distributing to all states within the US.
Corona
Of course, if you have heard of the Corona beer before, you would know that even today it continues to sell like hot cakes. It might be the most popular imported beer in the United States today, but there was a time when it was part of a full-blown mania.
The first time it was brought to America in 1981, people immediately took it as a luxury product, as if it was a foreign work of art. They saw it with the same decadence as prized exotic delicacies. As a result, people rushed to try a sip of the clear, silk-screened beer. So, it gained the term “corona-mania,” referring to a time where even the manufacturers were having issues trying to match the constantly rising demand. As with all things, however, the trend slowly died down to a more reasonable level.
Miller Lite
While Miller Lite is not as prestigious as Coors and Corona, it is still a great beer. It was introduced at the same time those two brands were becoming popular. During the 1980s, the beer was marketed to a younger audience of mostly college students.
Miller Lite was essentially the first beer in the world that was brewed with a light infusion. This beer, like the Coors, did not have any national reach in the early 1970s, staying regional until 1975. Its link to jock and sports culture also made it acceptable for “dudes” to drink the light, watery beverage. Soon, Miller Lite became the second most popular beer in America.
Nowadays, there are now a lot of microbreweries that produce various kinds of light beers, and Miller Lite has fallen well behind their competitors, such as Bud Light and Coors Light.
