MIXING THE SUDS

The Adolph Coors Co. isn’t crying in its beer over the upcoming AIDS-related demise on “St. Elsewhere” of Dr. Robert Caldwell--alias Mark Harmon, the macho Coors spokesman in a series of outdoorsy ads.

“His role as our spokesman,” said a Coors spokeswoman, reading from a prepared statement, “is one that is totally separate from his fictional role on ‘St. Elsewhere.’ Coors is totally supportive of his judgment as an individual to select the acting roles of his choice, including those of a controversial nature.”

Dr. Caldwell will contract AIDS from a heterosexual affair. (Tom Fontana, a producer/writer on “Elsewhere,” quipped, “Some people conjecture that he got it from a Coors bottle.”) He finds out about the disease in an episode scheduled to air Jan. 29. He’ll be last seen in the next episode.

MTM Enterprises won’t say whether Caldwell lives or dies--but he’s gone. It’s been widely publicized that Harmon wants out of the series to take on film projects.