Back in the 70’s, if you were on the eastern side of the Mississippi River and craving a cold Coors beer, you were out of luck. The popular brew was not readily available in this region, sparking curiosity and leaving many wondering: why couldn’t you buy Coors east of the Mississippi? It may surprise you to learn that the absence of Coors beer in the East during that time had nothing to do with being forbidden or prohibited. It was simply a matter of distribution and capacity.
During this period, Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado, faced logistical challenges in expanding their distribution network to meet the demand on a national scale. The brewery simply did not have the capacity to produce enough beer to provide availability east of Kansas City. Coors was experiencing tremendous popularity in the western states, and producing more to meet the demand in those regions left little room for expansion to the East.
It’s important to note that Coors had always prided itself on using only the finest ingredients and a meticulous brewing process. Their commitment to quality sometimes posed challenges in terms of production capacity. Rather than compromising the quality of their beer, Coors chose to focus on maintaining their high standards.
Another factor contributing to the limited availability of Coors in the East was the absence of a pasteurization process. Coors beer was and still is unpasteurized, which means it has a shorter shelf life compared to pasteurized beers. In the 70’s, this lack of pasteurization made distribution to distant markets more challenging, as the beer had to be kept refrigerated and shipped quickly to maintain its freshness.
Additionally, the transportation infrastructure of that time posed challenges for national beer distribution. The lack of advanced refrigeration technology and efficient shipping methods made it impractical and costly to transport Coors beer across long distances.
So, while it may have been frustrating for beer enthusiasts on the eastern side of the Mississippi, the unavailability of Coors in that region was not a deliberate restriction. The brewery’s focus on maintaining their high-quality standards and the constraints of production capacity, distribution logistics, and the absence of pasteurization all contributed to the limited reach of Coors in the 70’s.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Coors significantly expanded its distribution network and increased production capacity, allowing the beloved brew to finally make its way across the Mississippi and become more widely available throughout the country. This expansion marked a turning point for Coors, as it paved the way for the brand to establish itself as a national beer powerhouse.
In conclusion, the inability to buy Coors east of the Mississippi in the 70’s was not due to legal restrictions or bans, but rather limitations in production capacity, distribution logistics, and the absence of pasteurization. These factors prevented Coors from reaching the eastern markets at that time. Thankfully, as the brewery grew and adapted, Coors eventually became accessible to beer lovers across the nation, leaving behind a legacy as one of America’s most popular and iconic beer brands.
