<P> The Coors Brewing Company managed to survive Prohibition relatively intact . Years before the Volstead Act went into effect nationwide, Adolph Coors with sons Adolph Jr., Grover, and Herman established the Adolph Coors Brewing and Manufacturing Company, which included Herold Porcelain and other ventures . The brewery itself was converted into a malted milk and near beer production facility . Coors sold much of the malted milk to the Mars candy company for the production of sweets . Manna, the company's non-alcoholic beer replacement, was a near beer similar to current non-alcoholic beverages . However, Coors and his sons relied heavily on the porcelain company as well as a cement and real estate company to keep the Coors Brewing Company afloat . By 1933, after the end of Prohibition, the Coors brewery was one of only a handful of breweries that had survived . </P> <P> All of the non-brewery assets of the Adolph Coors Company were spun off between 1989 and 1992 . The descendant of the original Herold Porcelain ceramics business continues to operate as CoorsTek . </P> <P> For much of its history, Coors beer was a regional product and its marketing area was confined to the American West . While California and Texas were part of the 11 - state distribution area, Washington and Montana were not added until 1976 (Oregon did not approve sales in grocery stores until 1985). This gave it mystique and made it a novelty, particularly on the East Coast, and visitors returning from the western states often brought back a case . This iconic status was reflected in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, which centered around an illegal shipment of Coors from Texas to Georgia . The company finally established nationwide distribution in the United States in the mid-1980s . </P> <P> In 1959, Coors became the first American brewer to use an all - aluminum two - piece beverage can . Also in 1959, the company abandoned pasteurization and began to use sterile filtration to stabilize its beer . Coors currently operates the largest aluminum can producing plant in the world, known as the Rocky Mountain Metal Container (RMMC), in Golden . RMMC is a joint venture between Ball Metal and Coors, having been founded in 2003 . </P>

When did coors became available in the east