In a blind taste test of 10 lagers and light lagers, a Consumer Reports panel preferred Coors in the regular category and Miller Lite among the light contenders.

The results, outlined in the February issue of the magazine, which is available now, rated Budweiser at the bottom of the heap of the regular beers tested. Tasters detected "slight off notes (tin and sulfur)" in Bud, calling its flavor "a bit astringent."

Two private-label brews -- Trader Joe's Name Tag Classic Lager and Walgreens Big Flats 1901 Lager -- came behind Coors in the regular-beer category. Consumer Reports gave those three as well as Miller High Life a rating of "very good," while Budweiser and Corona Extra were considered "good."

In the light-beer race, tasters rated none of the four beers as better than "good." The three to earn that distinction, in descending order of tasters' preferences, were Miller Lite, Bud Light and Coors Light. At the tail end was Corona Light, earning a rating of "fair."

Tasters enjoyed the "clean" flavor of Miller Lite, which they said had "more flavor" and was "a little fruitier than most." Bud Light, they said, was "simple, straightforward." They did not like Corona Light's "bitterness and off-notes," which "overwhelm other flavors."

In other findings, the Consumer Reports panel preferred cans over bottles for their ability to keep light away from beer. "Light can react with beer within weeks or even days to create compounds similar to those a skunk uses to defend itself," the article notes.

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Consumer Reports Beer Ratings (beers listed in order according to taste quality within categories)

Regular Beer

"Very Good" • Coors*, Name Tag Classic Lager*, Big Flats 1901 Lager*, Miller High Life*

"Good" • Corona Extra, Budweiser

Light Beer

"Good" • Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light

"Fair" • Corona Light

*A Consumer Reports Best Buy.