Before Coors got national distribution, it was something of a cult item in the East. I remember a story in Newsweek during the Nixon Administration that said that it was Henry Kissinger's favorite beer, and that every time he traveled with Nixon to the West, he'd arrange for several cases of Coors to be loaded onto Air Force One. The story sounded like a plant, but it sure whipped up interest in Coors.

As an aside: Nixon developed a taste for Chateau Margaux, a Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux wine, during his years as a high-powered corporate lawyer in New York. At White House state dinners, he'd have the staff serve American wines to his guests. But he drank Chateau Margaux--the bottle was wrapped in a napkin as a disguise.