Mark Thorson wrote:
> notbob wrote:
>> OK, here's the deal with Coors. In pre-silver bullet (coors lite) days,
>> when coors only sold one beer, that beer was Coors Banquet. It was brewed
>> in Golden CO, only!, was unpasturized, and was shipped in refrigerated
>> trucks. It was not shipped East of CO(?). It was not shipped to OR, cuz OR
>> had a law barring unpasturized beer. Everyone else got unpasturized Coors
>> Banquet chilled from Golden CO to buyer, wherever that might be.
>>
>> This brewing/shipping process was unique to Coors, as far as I know. Coors
>> would actually start going bad if not kept refrigerated, as many big chains
>> and supermarkets would do so on big holidays, stocking up and making Coors
>> beer forts/islands, etc. But, if you got if fresh and un-warmed, it was
>> pretty decent beer. Not what I would call great or worthy of big smuggling
>> road trips to get the stuff, but I wasn't much of a beer drinker back then.
>> I drank for a buzz. Most of the rest of the myth is just that. I just
>> happen to know about it back in the early/mid 70s cuz I lived in OR for
>> awhile and worked at a place that served it and it was deliverd cold, like
>> no other beer. End of story.
>
> Back when I was a big beer drinker, I noticed a very
> rare phenomenon. On three occasions, I got a can of
> beer in which it seemed as though the bubbles were
> smaller (not that I think that's really possible,
> but that's what the mouthfeel was like) and the beer
> had a slight citrus taste. I'm wondering if those
> could have been cans that failed the pasteurization
> process. If so, those were the best three cans out
> of many thousands that I drank.

Before it's pasteurized, beer is a living thing. The yeast in it can
change over time, and the kinds of hops, water, barley malt, and yeast
all contribute to the overall flavor. And the flavor will change.
Chemically, beer is more complex than wine or coffee.

Try doing a batch of homebrew to see what happens.

It's conceivable that you did experience a few cans that didn't quite
finish the pasteurization process and did indeed continue to age (and
improve) in the can on their way to you. Not all beer styles improve
with age, but most do.