Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand ForksConsumer Reports: Game-Time Brew

  Football action heats up this time of year … and where there's football
there's often beer.  Beer makers spend millions hoping to put their brand
front and center. But which ones really score on flavor? Consumer Reports
ran taste tests to find out.

 Consumer Reports' Adam Kaplan ran blind taste tests on ten regular and light beers, including Coors, Miller Lite, and Budweiser.

  Experts evaluated each beer, tasting three samples in random order.

  The beers tested came in cans, which keep out sunlight. Light can react with
beer and ruin the taste.

  Light beers have the benefit of saving you 20 to 50 calories per can, but all
those tested came up short on taste.

  Adam Kaplan/Consumer Reports: "Unfortunately, none of them scored high enough to be rated very good."

  The worst? Corona Light, the most expensive light beer tested. Miller Lite
was the best of the bunch.

  Adam Kaplan: "It had more flavor than most."

  As for regular beers, Coors beat out the competition and scored well ahead
of Budweiser.

  Adam Kaplan: "It rated very good. It tastes clean and has good balance."

  And Coors is also a Best Buy at around six-and-a-half dollars for a six-pack.
So you'll have more money to spend on snacks for your guests.

  And when it comes to snacks, Consumer Reports has advice on how to
make healthier choices. Instead of chips, try air-popped or low-fat popcorn.
And skip cheese dips. Good alternatives are salsa, which has little or no fat, and hummus, which is nutritious.