How Does the Color Change Label Work on Coors Beer?

The Coors Brewing Company makes bottles and cans of of light beer that use "cold-activated" labels. The Rocky Mountains depicted on the label turn blue when the temperature of the beer reaches 43 degrees Fahrenheit. The technique is produced by using thermo chromic inks.

History

Thermo chromics ink was first used on packaged products in the '70s. Thermo chromic labels were introduced in the UK in September 2008 by Coors Light, using the Rocky Mountain range label. Trials and mass production were previously used in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Recomended Temperature

Coors recommended serving temperature of Coors Light is 33 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit ( 1 to 3 C.). The beer must be refrigerated for six to eight hours to allow serving temperature to be as low as possible.

Color Change

The color change occurs when the temperature-sensitive ink's color former and color developer melt and mix together and produce the blue color. The ink capsule size is sub 5 microns and millions of capsules are used to act as one. The result creates the color change on each "cold-activated" bottle label.

References

• Packworld: Coors' Label Shows Beer Temperature
• Coors Light: Coors Light Beer Blog
• Money CNN: How Chromatic's Ink Makes Coors Beer Label Change Color

Resources

• Chromatic Technologies Inc.