The last week of the NFL playoffs is fast approaching, and our ranking of several big-name lagers has arrived just in time. So which beer got top scores? Coors bested Budweiser, as well as eight other brews.

Our experts conducted blind taste tests of top-selling regular and light beers, including offerings from Budweiser, Coors, Corona, and Miller, as well as beer from Trader Joe's and Walgreens. None of the tested lagers were good enough to make our top Excellent category, but Coors came the closest, and at $6.45 a six-pack, it was deemed a CR Best Buy.

Taste off: Coors had a clean, good balanced taste with citrus notes, while Budweiser had slight off notes (tin and sulfur) and lighter, yeasty notes. Budweiser was also a bit astringent tasting.

Lagers usually have a mix of floral, fruity, yeasty, malted-grain, and boiled-hop (pungent) flavors. Most are pale yellow and light-bodied, and don't stay foamy for long.

In addition to comparing regular vs. light beer, our report also took a look at price vs. taste, store brands vs. big names, and cans vs. bottles. Subscribers can check out our full Ratings at Coors outscores Bud.