Dos Equis vs Coors Light – Taste, ABV, Calories, Carbs, Ingredients

With Dos Equis and Coors Light, you have a choice between a refreshing Mexican Lager and a crisp American Lager. What makes one your preferred beer over the other?

Dos Equis Lager Especial and Coors Light both have a 4.2% ABV. They have similar ingredient lists, although the corn syrup is more prominent in Dos Equis leading to more sweetness in the final product; Coors Light lacks ascorbic acid which is typically used to increase a beer’s shelf life. Dos Equis is also higher in calories and has more carbs.

Let’s go over the main differences between these two great beers. First an overview, then a breakdown for each beer.

Dos Equis vs Coors Light comparison overview

Whichever beer you prefer, both have their history and reasons to love them. The Coors Brewing Company and the Moctezuma Brewery have many great brewing methods to create the best beer possible.

Dos Equis vs Coors Light - Taste, ABV, Calories, Carbs, Ingredients
Dos Equis vs Coors Light – Taste, ABV, Calories, Carbs, Ingredients

Dos Equis Lager Especial is a light lager in a Pilsner style. It has a light malt profile that tends towards cracker flavors. Overall, it is a refreshing, light, and easily drinkable beer. Its lightness is shown in its lower-than-average calories and ABV.

Coors Light is an easily drinkable light beer. It has notes of light malt with some sweetness to offset the light hop bitterness. Coors Light is famous for its cold-activated cans which react to the preferred temperature to drink the beer.

Comparison Dos Equis Coors Light
Calories 131 102
Carbs 11 grams 5 grams
ABV 4.2% 4.2%
Ingredients Water, malted barley, Corn syrup, hops, ascorbic acid Water, barley, hop extract, lager yeast, corn syrup
Taste Light malt, hints of corn sweetness Hints of malt, hints of bitterness
Aroma Light malt, a hint of skunk Light bready notes
Cost (6 pack) $9-9.50 $8
Popularity (in popular opinion Q1 2023 US) 26th 14th
History Introduced in the US in 1983 First brewed in 1978 

What is the difference between Dos Equis and Coors Light?

When it comes to these two beers there are many factors we can use to compare them. 

Using the below aspects let’s break down the differences between Dos Equis and Coors Light: 

  • Dos Equis vs Coors Light calories
  • Dos Equis vs Coors Light carbs
  • Dos Equis vs Coors alcohol content (ABV)
  • Dos Equis vs Coors ingredients
  • Dos Equis vs Coors taste, flavors, and aroma
  • Cost
  • Popularity and sales
  • History

The first few aspects – calories, carbs, alcohol content, and ingredients – help to determine the objective differences between the recipe and the final product. 

Then we can break down why people like one over the other. By covering the taste, flavors, and aromas of the two beers we can highlight some of the subjective reasons for people’s preferences.

Lastly, we’ll cover the marketing and history of the two beers. That will include the cost, popularity, and sales of Coors Light and Dos Equis.

Dos Equis Lager Especial

Dos Equis is a Mexican Lager that was pulled back from the brink of anonymity by a series of commercials. Even if may not be exactly true, it’s certainly one more story that has been built around The Most Interesting Man in the World.

Dos Equis boasts (or at least boasted, before he left Earth to become, presumably, The Most Interesting Man on Mars) the most recognizable spokesperson in brewing, but there’s more to this beer than just a truly great advertising campaign.

Calories, carbs, and other nutrition facts

A 12-ounce can of Dos Equis contains 131 calories, 11 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and 0 grams of fat.

To put that calorie count into context, a personal container of 2% Greek yogurt is 130 calories. To reach the average recommended daily calorie intake of 2,000 you would have to drink about 15 beers.

Alcohol Content (ABV)

Each 12-ounce can of Dos Equis has 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV).

This is slightly lighter than the average 4.5% ABV for lagers. In reality, a 0.3% difference is quite small. Use inebriation cheat sheets to determine how many beers it might take to become impaired.

Ingredients

The exact quantities and specific ingredients of Dos Equis are not revealed to the public, but we do know the basic ingredient list.

Dos Equis is brewed with water, barley malt, ascorbic acid, corn syrup, and hops. As with all fermented beverages, yeast is used in the brewing process. However, most of the yeast is filtered out after fermentation.

The adjuncts of corn syrup and ascorbic acid are listed. The corn syrup adds consistency to the beer as it is easy for the yeast to ferment.

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. This helps to prevent off-flavors in the final product.

Taste, flavors, and aroma

here is little to no bitterness in this beer. The mouthfeel of Dos Equis is quite light and watery. That said, this beer is incredibly refreshing on a hot day.

Dos Equis Especial tastes of light malt flavors, often a cracker note. Other flavors include corn sweetness and occasionally light skunkiness. The aromas are similar to the taste – primarily light malts.

Wondering why this beer is so appealing to The Most Interesting Man in the World – find out what Dos Equis tastes like!

Cost

A 6-pack of 12-ounce Dos Equis costs between $9 and $9.50. That said, the price can vary greatly depending on your region. A pint at a bar could cost around $5 to $7.

Dos Equis is sold in a wide range of packaging styles. The most common are 6-packs though 12-packs, 24-packs, and 30-packs are also frequently found at liquor stores.

Popularity and sales

According to YouGov America, Dos Equis is the 26th most popular beer in the 1st Quarter of 2023. Dos Equis Especial has a popularity rating of 38% and a fame rating of 78%.

The popularity score is based on Americans that have a positive opinion of Dos Equis. The fame score is based on the percentage of Americans who have heard of the beer.

If you enjoy Dos Equis there are several other popular beers you might enjoy. Some examples include Sol, Coors Light, and Coors Light.

History

The brewery that makes Dos Equis was founded in 1890 and named after Moctezuma, the last Aztec ruler.

The Moctezuma Brewery first brewed a beer called Siglo XX or 20th century. Fast forward nearly a hundred years and the brewery’s signature beer is imported to the US for the first time. The two Xs of Siglo XX became synonymous with the beer. This led to the name “Dos Equis” or “two X’s.” Siglo XX eventually became known as Dos Equis Ambar Especial.

As for the Lager Especial, it eventually became the fastest-growing import beer in the US in 2009. This was likely due to the success of the marketing campaign depicting “The Most Interesting Man in the World” which began in 2006.

Coors Light

Coors Light is a powerhouse light beer owned by Molson Coors. 

Coors Light was first brewed in 1978 as the light version of Coors Banquet. It was brewed to compete with other light beers at the time and was immediately successful, eventually becoming more popular than the original Coors.

Coors Light is brewed with two-row Moravian barley and Rocky Mountain water. It competes heavily with Busch Light.

Coors Light won a packaging award for its 16-ounce aluminum twist-off bottles and is available mostly in 12-ounce slim cans and 12-ounce bottles.

Learn all about what distinguishes Coors Light from Coors Banquet.

Calories, carbs, and other nutrition facts

“Light” beers are typically around 100 calories, and Coors Light is no exception.

A 12-ounce Coors Light has 102 calories, 5 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fat, and fewer than 1 gram of protein.

At 102 calories, a Coors Light has a little more calories than one and a half bananas.

Alcohol Content (ABV)

Each 12-ounce can of Coors Light has 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV).

The standard ABV for a beer when calculating inebriation is 4.5%. Since Coors Light is close to this you can use an inebriation cheat sheet to determine how many drinks before you shouldn’t drive. It is always wise to err on the side of caution.

Ingredients

As with most major brewing companies, Coors keeps the exact details of how Coors Light is brewed a secret, but we do know a good bit about the ingredients.

Coors Light is brewed with Rocky Mountain spring water, North American 2-row barley, hop extract, lager yeast, and corn syrup. Most breweries do not list yeast as an ingredient because it is often filtered out of the final product.

Two-row malts are used to bring out strong malt flavors. To accentuate this, the beer is cold lagered and filtered.

Taste, flavors, and aroma

Being one of the top beers in the country, you might expect Coors Light to have a bold, distinctive flavor.

Coors Light’s dominant flavor is malt. There is also a hint of hop bitterness to offset the sweetness. The aroma is similar to the flavor profile. 

The mouthfeel is fairly watery, almost like mineral water. There is still a decent level of carbonation, however, and is not as dry as other light beers. It leaves no lingering aftertaste.

Check out this article for more details on the taste, aroma, and mouthfeel of Coors Light.

Cost

A 6-pack of 12-ounce Coors Lights costs roughly $8 though it may be cheaper or more expensive depending on your area. On draught, at a bar, you might see a pint for roughly $5.

Coors Light is available in bottles, cans, and kegs.

Coors Light is available in plenty of packaging sizes at various prices. You can find 12-packs, 24-packs, and even ½ kegs.

Popularity and sales

Coors Light is the 14th most popular beer of Quarter 1, 2023 in the US. It has a popularity score of 42% with a fame score of 94%.

The popularity score is based on Americans that have a positive opinion of Coors Light. On the other hand, the fame score is based on the percentage of Americans who have heard of the beer.

History

Today’s Coors Light is not the first beer to go by that name. In the 1940s Coors Brewing Co. sold a different light beer; however, this brew was discontinued and not sold after World War II.

The beer we know as Coors Light was first brewed in 1978 and began being sold throughout the United States in 1991. In 2005, it (perhaps appropriately) won the silver award in the Great American Beer Festival, and it was named the official beer of NASCAR in 2008.

Coors Light as been sold in some variation of the iconic "silver bullet" packaging since its release in 1978.

You can read the whole story behind the iconic Silver Bullet packaging on the Molson Coors website.