Coors regular beer received high praise today from experts at Consumer Reports, which said that in recent taste tests, the beer was a runaway favorite.

“Looking to enjoy the last weeks of football season with the prefect brew? Coors regular topped Consumer Reports’ recent taste test of beers, blowing away nine brews including Budweiser and Bud Light,” said Consumer Reports.

It also noted that Name Tag and Big Flats — store brands from Trader Joe’s and Walgreens respectively — beat out top-sellers Corona Extra and Budweiser.

To determine the best brews, the experts at Consumer Reports conducted blind taste tests of 10 beers — eight top-selling regular and light beers plus two store brands.

None of the beers “scored a touchdown,” Consumer Reports said. Coors came close with a rating of “very good.”

In addition to earning the highest marks in Consumer Reports’ tests, Coors, available for $6.45 for a six-pack, was deemed a Consumer Report’s Best Buy along with runners-up Name Tag, Big Flats and Miller High Life.

Consumer Reports also compared regular vs. light beer, noting that light beer has 20 to 50 less calories per serving due to lower carbs and slightly less alcohol. However it said no light scored high enough “to be very good.” Miller Lite, which had more flavor and is a little fruitier, was the best of the bunch, said the report. Corona Light, which it described as a “bitter brew with traces of tinny and ‘sulfury’ off-notes” was the worst.

As far as price vs. taste, it said Corona Light costs far more than the higher-rated Miller Lite; and Corona Extra costs about twice as much as three better beers – Name Tag, Big Flats and Miller High Life.

Consumer Reports added that cans do a far better job in keeping the original beer taste. In bottles, light can interact with the beer and within weeks “create compounds similar to those a skunk uses to defend itself,” said the report.

The complete beer ratings are available in the February issue of Consumer Reports.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.