Exciting, isn't it?

Well, maybe not so much. Cold Activation Day, as far as I can tell, is Coors's attempt to reignite interest in those bottles with labels that turn blue when they reach a particular temperature. The thinking here is that none should touch this beer until it's reached a particular threshold of cold.

Oh, and the design on the labels has been changed although they still work the same way.

If it sounds like I'm poo-pooing this concept a little it's because I am. Super cold beer, which seems to be Coors's goal, is flavorless beer. Naturally, lagers like Coors should be drank cold but not ice cold; no beer should be drank that cold and if that's the only way to enjoy it then it's a bad beer.

The target temperatures for beer consumption vary widely based on style but most lagers are best served at temperatures between 39 - 45 F (4 - 7 C) and 45 - 57 F (8 - 14 C) for ales. That's a pretty wide range, I know. For more details and style suggestions check out this beer temperature serving guide from RateBeer.com. My point here is that these temperatures are well above ice-cold which seems to be the temperature at which many American lager brewers would rather their brews be served.

Now, I honestly don't know the temperature at which Coors's bottles declare themselves to be done.* It could very well be that they target exactly the middle of that lager range I described above. However the branding of Coors and most other megabreweries heartily embraces that ice-cold-is-best way of thinking.

*I found out later.