Miller High Life - Miller Brewing Co.

Brenden

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

For the sake of experimentation, I'm holding a little tasting of beers I happened to have but would never purchase myself. Here's the fifth and final beer. I like drinking beer for the enjoyment it brings, so I'm glad this is almost over, but it was worth it in its own way.

This one, a pale yellow that's a bit more than "straw," actually manages to develop a fluffy white head that manages to stick. It stays at about half a finger but it stays for a long time, and even manages a reasonably thick ring of lacing at the top and, dare I say it, a pretty good amount of lacing beside.
Creamed corn. I wouldn't exactly call it "clean," although I guess it is besides that. There's a bit of malts presence. I just don't like that cooked corn thing in my beer.
There's a ghost of hops in the flavor along with a bit of astringency behind the corn and grains.
The feel...isn't bad. Light for what I like but not terribly light, even almost verging toward medium in the light body. Crispness is there but not overly spritzy. There's even a little smoothness.

Serving type: can

06-07-2012 01:28:52 | More by Brenden

Celtics76

Rhode Island

2.9/5  rDev +7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear yellow gold in color, interesting patchy head, mild carbonation. It's Miller High Life! I love the red, white and blue retro-style can.

This is better than most macro brews - no skunky or urine-like taste. Light, goes down smooth with a mild corn/grain flavor. This is a "play it safe" type of beer - I would have this available were I to host a cookout of some sort. But I would also keep a 6 pack of a Stone or Victory brew in the fridge for the beer connoisseur. Also recommended for Mad Men parties, due to the retro cans and bottles offered.

Overall, recommended if you're on a budget or hosting a party that may consist of folks that are simply not on your level of sophistication.

Serving type: can

06-06-2012 23:38:28 | More by Celtics76

gabedivision

New York

2.43/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

poured from a 12 oz can to a SA perfect pint glass

A- looks like movie beer, straw golden yellow, crystal clear and clean, frothy white head tons of carbonation

S- Sweet grains on the nose, a touch of lemon, a slight touch of banana. Musty or mold scent on the end.

T- Soapy water, boiled grains, lemon pledge, slighty offensive after taste.

M- light, highly carbonated, blah...

O- well, it sucks, typical AAl, tastes like corn water, smells like gym socks.

Serving type: can

05-19-2012 21:36:16 | More by gabedivision

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

2.25/5  rDev -17%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Drank this bad boy right from the can

The body is a clear golden yellow with a fluffy white head. Loads of visible carbonation. I drank mine from the can, but others at this backyard shindig poured theirs into a glass. The aroma is of corn and grains, maybe a little green apple. The flavor profile mimics the nose. Green apple skins, corn starch, and grains. Extremely bland, lacking any real flavors. Light-bodied, high carbonation. This is probably a little more palatable than others in its style, but it is still not very desireable.

Serving type: can

05-19-2012 14:42:26 | More by ColForbinBC

VaterRoss

North Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz can into Olde Hickory pint glass, BB May 28th.

Vigorous pour gives a nice frothy white head. Beer is crystal clear and a light golden yellow. Surprisingly it keeps a small head/big skim for most of the drink. Smell is light, sweet, and bitter; reminiscent of a light beer actually ad most boring. Taste is fairly sweet and light, not much body to it at all. I assume the light sweetness is the corn coming through. Hops are very light giving just a touch of bitterness. Body is very light and well carbed.

A boring beer with just enough taste to make it palatable, somewhere between a light and adjunct lager in taste and body. While not a beer I would refuse if offered, this is also not something I would imbibe of my own volition. Quite simply there are better beers in the same price range or cheaper.

Serving type: can

05-11-2012 19:46:49 | More by VaterRoss

OdinMcHaggis

2.25/5  rDev -17%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

16 oz tall boy
A: aggressive pour into schooner and a fizz 1/8" thick is the result,
very clear light golden, no lacing.

S: smells just like a truck load of kegs, metal and beer.
T: corn, metal and weak hops.
M: It's beer
O: taste like a cheap draft beer, carbonation is OK, acceptable beer for work, lunch or a large party.

union made last time I checked, my go to high volume beer.

Serving type: can

04-28-2012 01:09:20 | More by OdinMcHaggis

Dools9

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a tall boy can into a pint glass.

A: With an agressive pour, Pale, golden straw, two fingers of white head, and I gotta admit, this left alot of suprisingly good retention and a lot of lacing for a cheap adjunct.

S: Clean hay, lots of sweet corn and cereal, lightly metallic, sulfuric, mild funk.

T: Sweet grains, sweet hay, lots of corn, some light bitterness in the finish and more of that lingering corn husk and cereal flavor, overall its not too bad.

M: Light bodied, plenty of carbonation, some slickness on the mouth, and highly drinkable.

O: A good cheap beer kick, sessionable, nice can, solid retro offering. Goes down nice after cutting the lawn on a hot day.

Serving type: can

04-20-2012 23:43:46 | More by Dools9

12stepCornelius

3.48/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served out of a 16 oz. pint can.

Appearance is typical golden straw colored American lager look.
Starts out with a decent bright white head that diminishes to a half-finger head, then fades away to give the beer a fizzy surface.
Lots of tiny bubbles rising to the top.

Smells of malt and corn. A little bitterness in the background, but mostly sweet corn.

Mouthfeel is fairly carbonated, slightly watery, but pleasant.

Lots of corn taste. Slightly sweet, but refreshing. Some bitterness mid-swig that follows through on the aftertaste.

Overall its a nice cheaper beer. One of my go-to's, the other being Pabst. But this is a good beer for a bachelor or a college student on a budget like myself. A lawnmower beer.

Serving type: can

04-18-2012 23:02:10 | More by 12stepCornelius

Solomonj515

2.48/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

nice golden color for an american lager. nice head too.

smells like it says on the can, champagain of beers I got that wine champaign smell.

has a bit of a floral taste a little metalic maybe from the can.

it was a little dry but a little more smooth than what i remembe from my binge drinking days.

overall not to bad for an amarican lager.

Serving type: can

04-17-2012 18:36:30 | More by Solomonj515

acevenom

Louisiana

3.35/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a pint can into a glass mug. Pours pale yellow with a towering, white head. The head does dissipate, but it leaves a nice cap on top with some lacing around the edge. There are plenty of bubbles rising up from the bottom of the glass. The smell is of malt and corn. There is some mild hop aroma as well, but it's hard to detect. The flavors of grainy barley malt and slightly sweet corn are the dominant flavors. The hops are very mild. The body is light and it is abundantly carbonated. It's crisp and refreshing. This beer is very easy to drink. Overall, this is a solid adjunct lager that is good for a tailgate, a fishing trip, a picnic, or just for a nice summer day when you have the barbecue pit going. For the price, you can't go wrong with this beer.

Serving type: can

04-09-2012 00:15:09 | More by acevenom

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz. can from the duty free; best before April 2 2012. Talk about cutting it close.

Pours a pale straw yellow, topped with slightly more than a finger of fizzy white head. It dissipates to a thin, even cap in a matter of minutes, leaving behind a thin ring of lacing around the edge of the glass. Streams of bubbles rising to the surface. Certainly not the worst-looking lager I've ever seen. Bland, grainy aroma with a lot of corny sweetness and not much else.

Surprisingly solid taste - and by solid I don't necessarily mean interesting or unique, but definitely relatively clean and enjoyable. The corny sweetness is noticeable, but it's not sickly overpowering, with grainy malts and grassy hay making up the bulk of the rest of the flavour. Faint lemony taste toward the finish, with a clean aftertaste. One thing I will say - the mouthfeel of this stuff is perfect for the style. Thin-bodied and watery, but highly carbonated - probably the only trait this shares with actual champagne - for a wonderfully crisp, refreshing mouthfeel.

This stuff passes my litmus test for adjunct lagers with flying colors - decent flavour, crisp taste, and exceptionally easy to throw back around a fire or during the game. You could do much, much worse than MHL - and doing better (without moving to a 'better' style of beer) could be a bit of a challenge.

Final Grade: 3.15, in the C+ range. This stuff is apparently available in Canada, though I have never actually seen it advertised anywhere, and if it's anything like MGD it's probably too expensive to be worth it anyway. That being said, I could see myself picking up some of this at the duty free the next time I return from a Stateside trip. I'd certainly take this over many Canadian macros.

Serving type: can

04-01-2012 19:18:09 | More by thehyperduck

beerme626

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a can into a weizen glass.

A: A pale, almost clear yellow, but with a one finger white head, and lots of bubbles (understandable for the "champagne of beers")

S: The worst part. Corn, hay, but not in a good, farmhouse ale way. In a gross, cheap beer way.

T: Following the smell, I was surprised at how decent the taste was. A mild one, to be sure, but flavorful for an adjunct. Still some hay and straw, but not bad.

M: Highly carbonated, and should not be drunk warmer than "very cold," which is not a good sign, but is refreshing when cold. A bit of a sticky after-effect.

O: I was surprised when I revisited this college standard for vaguely-classy cheap drunks. It was much better than expected. That said, it's only for pizza, not for session.

Serving type: can

03-27-2012 01:28:58 | More by beerme626

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

2.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Serving type: One 32-ounce can. “JUN1112” is the best-by date printed on the bottom of the can.

Appearance: Poured into a 200 ml sampling mug. The color is clean, clear straw yellow. Three fingers of fluffy white head dissipated to leave trails of foam along the inside of the glass, a billowy lacing, and eventually a ring around the edge.

Smell: Sweet adjunct grain. It mostly smells like corn. There is a little lemon zest, some grassiness, and maybe a few toasted grains (it is actually reminiscent of popcorn).

Taste: It has a nice beery/grassy bite to it. It reminds me of drinking my first beer. The beeriness persists along with sweet adjunct grain, some toasted grain, and a little lemon zest.

Drinkability: It is not much, but it is cheap and decent. It’s a good lawnmower or tailgating beer — something light and straightforward to provide a good buzz before a game.

Serving type: can

03-24-2012 02:15:39 | More by TheQuietMan22

Darkmagus82

Montana

2.35/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from can into pint glass

Appearance –Pours a medium golden color with a big white head. Big carbonation bubbles could be seen coming up through the brew. The head faded very fast leaving no lacing.

Smell – Nothing but corn here.

Taste – The taste is much of the same in the nose. Corn mainly, although there is a slight bit of citrus hop flavor that comes in at the end of the taste.

Mouthfeel – Thinner body and lots of carbonation. Easy to drink and good for the style.

Overall – Since I paid $1.50 for 32 oz. what should I expect? Slightly subpar in comparison to the standard American adjunct lager.

Serving type: can

03-13-2012 00:51:55 | More by Darkmagus82

donmonkey1

Tennessee

2.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Straw yellow, low carbonation, quickly receeding head, decent lacing.

Smell: Sweet corn

Taste: Sweetness from the malt, nothing really stands out.

Mouthfeel: Watery with a nice carbonation bite.

This is a thirst quenching but boring beer. There's nothing good about it, there's nothing really bad about it.

Serving type: can

02-27-2012 21:50:36 | More by donmonkey1

gtermi

Texas

2.98/5  rDev +10%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Holy mother of god the head on this beer is like five fingers. It is a clear gold with a white head. The head SLOWLY fades and leaves a lot of lace on the glass. The head of this beer is very similar to a coke float.

S: Get a little bit of corn and some sweet grain. To be honest there just really isnt anything there.

T: Again a strong amount of sweet corn, some grain and a little bit of malt. This actually isn't terrible.

M: There is a good of carbonation going down, but in the mouth it feels more like water.

O: I can understand why people drink this stuff. Its super easy to drink, not much flavor so it doesnt offend and its easy on the pocket. I have had a lot of bad beers in my life, but I would say that this is actually one of the better adjunct beers.

Serving type: can

01-26-2012 06:03:03 | More by gtermi

J23hc

New Jersey

2.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

"champagne of beers" poured into flute. Looks like cheap champagne, soapy head gone at 2nd glance. Not ugly, but watery, clear w/ slight gold tint. Smell is bare, with faint sweet malts. Taste isn't terrible, not much to speak of though just a sweetness and alcohol burn. Bubbly, kinda watery but drinkable

Serving type: can

01-03-2012 21:06:12 | More by J23hc

tdm168

North Carolina

3/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Grabbed this out of the macro haven that is my father-in-law's beer fridge.

I drank it out of the can because that's how things are done at the in-laws.

It was a crisp, smooth beer that was a little heavily carbonated. It was easy to drink, but lacked overall flavor. The smell coming from the can was grainy and metallic. The flavor was also grainy, a little sweet, but had some decent hop bitterness to it.

This is by no means a bad beer, and in fact I chose it over about 6 other macros. Ultimately though, it lacks substance.

Serving type: can

12-27-2011 01:49:06 | More by tdm168

shealoftus14

Pennsylvania

1.8/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This might be a popular choise for say college students because it is cheap. By no means do I think it is that good just a less expensive knock off than miller lite. Hops are non existant faint taste of corn. Easy to drink beer. Poor choice unless you are looking for a cheap and easy drunken binge. nothing great

Serving type: can

12-12-2011 17:03:09 | More by shealoftus14

shand

Florida

3.45/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I rarely drink adjunct lagers, but when I do, I prefer High Life. It's affordable and still reasonably tasty! Got some left over from a party I threw the other night, so why not throw a review up here. You know what color this is. Golden. It pours with a two finger head and has an actual reasonable amount of lacing. Smell is some harsh corn, bready notes, and that "wet dog" thing I always get from these brews. The taste is actually quite reasonable for the style, it goes down very easily with just a bit of corn mineral taste, then finishes with a bready aftertaste. Just enough taste to remind you it's a beer. The mouthfeel is highly carbonated and very brisk. C'mon, it's the champagne of beers! Overall, I really like High Life, for what it is. As a cheap "staple" beer, it's really easy to do worse. It'll handily beat out most common "import" lagers (Corona, Stella, you know what kinda beers I'm talking about) at a third the price.

Serving type: can

12-11-2011 01:09:40 | More by shand

CowsCanBark

Pennsylvania

2.2/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Just recently drank this straight from the can, and I can't comment on it's appearance, but based on having it plenty of other times, it's a dark clear yellow with a two-finger head, no retention or lacing.

The smell is of typical corn adjuncts and metal, basically a more pungent Miller Lite.

Taste: Metallic, corny adjuncts, tiny bit of hops. Very corny.

Mouthfeel: Light body and moderate carbonation, easy drinker.

Overall: I certainly wouldn't go seeking this out, but if handed it at a party I'd still drink it, but just for the buzz.

Serving type: can

11-19-2011 22:38:24 | More by CowsCanBark

Sorvahr

Tennessee

1.7/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A friend of mine had a party recently in which one of her friends brought an entire case of Miller High Life. Since there were several cans remaining at the end of the festivities I asked her for one so I could write a review on it. "The Champagne of Beers", the can says. Well, this doesn't look like champagne and certainly doesn't smell like it. With some trepidation I poured it into an old Yuengling pint glass (the better glasses don't deserve such indignity inflicted on them).

A: Pours an amber golden color (well, at least it has color), with a one-finger bubbly head that quickly dissipates into a white haze at the top. It looks vaguely like a urine sample, not particularly appetizing. The beer actually manages to have a decent amount of lacing.

S: Piss! It really does smell like urine, with a sort of sickly-sweet (corn?) smell coupled with a distinct B.O. undertone and a metallic note. Already I have a bad feeling about this.

T: Ugh! Sickly sweet is right! Cardboard, vegetables, soggy Fritos, copper, pretty much anything but malt and hops. It hits the tongue with some indescribable but distinctly unpleasant funk (is this what gym socks taste like?). As the beer warms up the funk becomes increasingly funky and nasty. Chemical finish.

M: Thin, weak, watery. There's no weight or body to this at all, it's like corn-and-B.O.-flavored soda water.

O: Well, it's not Bud Light but it's pretty bad. The smell alone makes me not want to drink it. If you want "great pilsner taste" try Warsteiner Premium Verum or Pilsner Urquell. I drank about half of it before drainpouring the rest. Even if it's cheap, I'd rather have a lower quantity of something decent than this. Not recommended.

Serving type: can

10-24-2011 01:19:00 | More by Sorvahr

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The commercials for Miller High Life are awesome. The beer is not quite as good as the commercials, best way to describe it is servicable. The beer pours yellow/golden clear with big carbonation and bubblely head to start, then it fades. The smell and taste are common to all american adjunct lagers....wheat/barley/grain with balance of hops. The mouthfeel of this beer is fine....it beer....no out of the ordinary flavors to twangs. Overall its a good session beer.

Serving type: can

10-22-2011 13:21:20 | More by WoodBrew

mnrider

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. can. Freshness date on bottom. the "Champagne of Beers"

A: Pours a clear light golden yellow. Large bone white head appears. Good retention with excellent lacing and plenty of carbonation.

S: Sweet with some corn and other insignificant grains.

T/M: Crisp and light bodied yet smooth at the same time. A hint of hop bitterness comes in but more of a carbonation bite than anything. Sweetness from the corny grains. The beer is watery but not in a horrible way. The finish is pretty clean on the sweet side.

O: One of the better American Adjuncts around IMO. Drink cold and drink many.

Cheers!

Serving type: can

10-21-2011 22:01:25 | More by mnrider

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.2/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Drank straight out of a can.

A: You know the term "fizzy yellow beer"? Well, that's this in a nutshell.

S: Honestly, smells like nothing.

T: A lot like the smell. Incredibly inoffensive and nigh flavorless.

M: Pretty much like soda.

O: This is a beer that does its purpose, and does it relatively well. This is not a beer you taste or dream about. Go pick up some Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock if that's what you want. This is a beer you drink large quantities of without thinking about it, while watching the Redskins whiff against the Eagles (damn Rex Grossman!)

Of course, the real question is, would you want to? I know I don't.

Serving type: can

10-20-2011 20:27:16 | More by ThisWangsChung