Miller High Life - Miller Brewing Co.

Premo88

Texas

2.05/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 1.75

12 oz. bottle poured into pilsener

L -- clear pale yellow, 1/2 to 3/4-inch pure white head that dissapears quickly. looks like water with yellow food coloring in it. maybe a hint of gold. very little lacing.

S -- sour-spoiled corn

T -- like it smells. weak, sour corn and not much else. very little hop bite, no great taste on the back end. just sour corn.

F -- fine carbonation, nothing fancy

0 -- four months ago, I would've given this thing higher ratings probably by 1 point on average across the board, but after experiencing the Chimays, Rochefort 6, Stone's Enjoy By and Arrogant Bastard and IPA, not to mention some decent local brews, this fizzy yellow corn water just doesn't hold up. Not by comparison.

I hate scoring it so low, though, because I've always considered it a better choice than most American macro-brewery beers. Much better than any of the "lights" for sure. And when you factor in price, it used to seem like the best beer going for my tastes.

I'll come back to it in 6 months or a year and give it another shot ... maybe not drink beer for a week or more then open one of these. They used to hit the spot.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 11:46:24 | More by Premo88

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.09/5  rDev +14%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: Pours a pale yellow color with a half finger of quickly fizzling head

S: Quite bready, with a hint of adjuncts and sweetness. Not bad at all

T: Follows the nose. Malty and bready with a definite adjunct sweetness. Simple. Nothing off-putting or offensive

M: Light bodied with moderate-high carbonation

O: An enjoyable, sessionable, cheap AAL that has nothing wrong with it. It's not great, but it's not bad either. I could see myself drinking quite a few of these during a football game or sporting event

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 22:46:21 | More by BEERMILER12

RyanLaCount03

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +41.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I thought this beer was fairly decent, but nothing that I would drink all of the time. It had a good taste and ok smell to it. On a hot summers day while cooking on the grill, i thought it really hit the spot, but most anything probably would. The mouthfeel of the beer was also average for a lager. This is the type of beer that my dad and grandpa would drink, but not really my favorite.

Serving type: can

02-21-2013 04:02:50 | More by RyanLaCount03

EdgeT

2.59/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5

Lets all be honest here, there is nothing special about this beer. This is as average as a beer gets. This beer isnt great/ideal but its not a bad beer either. The flavor of this beer is very simple as well, nothing that makes it stand out with any particular flavor in my mind. The can can use work as well as it could be more attractive.

Serving type: can

02-20-2013 03:51:17 | More by EdgeT

JayBeer

2.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance (3)- HIGH LIFE pours a GOLDEN CLEAR color with a HEAD that dissipates fairly quickly, but leaves a LATTICE down to the last drink. Some may deem a 3 too high for a MACRO, but as far as straight APPEARANCE goes, the high carbonation gives an attractive effervescence throughout the life of the drink.

Smell (1.75)- A SWEET MALT smell is given right off the pour, with LITTLE character left afterward. Given a good, hard sniff, prevailing RICE, slightly CORNY scent is present after dissipation of the head. This isn't the beer to give you a SIDEWAYS monologue, when critiquing its taste, the character just isn’t there.

Taste (3)- As far as MACRO BREWS go, I have always found HIGH LIFE to have the CRISPEST flavor for my taste (as far as macros go!). I may, however, be slightly bias, because I have been drinking this beer for several years. The taste is, again, RICEY AND CORNY, but there isn't that METALIC CAN, taste found in BUD, OR COORS. The flavor of alcohol isn't too present, the beer finishes crisp, a reminder of a hard days work in THE SUN, or weekends MOWING THE LAWN. This isn't a rare, mouthgasm inducing taste, it's just, GOOD OLE BEER.

Mouthfeel (2.75)- Again, I rate HIGH LIFE a bit higher than I would other macros, because of its EFFERVECANCE. The bubbles taken in with every sip give you a reason of why this is labeled THE CHAMPAGNE OF BEERS. It is, again, rather delightful on a HOT, DRY day, though LACKING in any other SIGNIFICANT character.

Overal (3.75)- This rating stands ONLY when compared against other MACROS. Again, I am biased toward HIGH LIFE, I have too much experience with the brew to trash it now that I have had more experience with BETTER BEERS, WITH GREATER CHARACTER IN ALL THE ABOVE CATEGORIES. A guy has to keep his old standbys, ya know. But for me, the amounts of CARBONATION AND EFFERVECANCE are the CLINCHERS.

THANKS ALL,
PS: WAS MY FIRST REVIEW ON THIS FANTASTIC FORUM, TO ALL WHO ARE CONCERNED, KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK, I LOVE THIS PLACE, AND ALL THE INFO I HAVE RETRIEVED FROM IT!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 02:57:10 | More by JayBeer

jacket_fan

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured aggressively from a clear bottle into a pint glass

A
Clear near yellow color with a long lasting head. A heavy lacing that lasted long past finishing.

T
Minimal bitter beer taste. Lets face it. This is a mass production brew. Not meant for beer snobs. To me it is satisfying for a hot day when you are doing the sort of activities you do as an excuse to drink beer outside.

M
A little thin with enough carbonation

O
What I remember from my wayward youth. Still would chose the king of beers when buying this style. But would enjoy on a hot Georgia afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 02:34:01 | More by jacket_fan

TheSixthRing

California

2.86/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Poured aggressively, this crystal clear, pale yellow brew formed a white, half finger head with sub-par retention. Fair lacing with good stick.

Smell - Predominant malt sweetness. Grainy.

Taste - Slightly sweet to start, then finishes with prominent grain character. Simple. Not much flavor... but nothing offputting, either.

Mouthfeel - Light, watery, slightly fizzy. Drinkable, in the least.

Overall - A lot better than what I remember, which has got to be a good 8 or so years. Still, not a beer I'd buy unless options were severely limited... like 'on a deserted island' limited. Alright, maybe not that bad, but you get the point.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 03:55:07 | More by TheSixthRing

MickeyBeer

Illinois

2.91/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

24 oz can poured into a pilsener glass

A- Pours a light gold, very clear with a lot of active carbonation. About one and half fingers worth of head that dissipates quickly. Surprisingly, it left some lacing on the glass.

S- Not much going on here. A little bit of a malty, bread, and faint hint of alcohol smell.

T- Light malt flavor. No real complex flavors here but it is smooth.

M- Really enjoyable mouthfeel. It truly does have a champagne mouthfeel to it and this make the beer very enjoyable for me. It has a very smooth, crisp finish.

O- Not a beer with much depth, but for a lighter cheaper beer, I think it is very tasty. I will continue buying because it is cheap and widely available.

Serving type: can

01-25-2013 01:27:54 | More by MickeyBeer

weskerwannabe

4.51/5  rDev +66.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

It tastes in my opinion exactly like a Miller golden yellow beer should, but It's the carbonation that I just Love. Makes it feel so alive! I've never been a smooth beer drinker so Miller High Life is the perfect match for this guy :-) Cheers to livin' the high life

Serving type: can

01-16-2013 23:17:06 | More by weskerwannabe

Anthogonist

2.84/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

In my opinion, I'd say that the miller high life is potentially the best tasting beer that the miller brewing co makes. That's not to say its a great beer, but lets face it, if I had to choose amongst the typical Miller brands, it would probably be this. As far as flavor, it's crisp and refreshing with a lot of carbonation. The taste is decent. It certainly isn't anywhere near the best, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 04:22:55 | More by Anthogonist

drabmuh

Maryland

2.18/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I am apparently completely losing my palate for these kinds of beers, this beer was completely undrinkable. It is always "fun" to visit my in laws, I get to try all these shitty beers that I would never pay for. I drank about 1/3 of a bottle of this and then gave it to my Father-in-law because I had had enough, never again.

Beer is yellow and effervescent with a white head with no retention, no lacing, strong carbonation.

Aroma is grainy, sweet, corn.

Beer is light and watery with a strong grainy aftertaste that really dominated the beer on the taste side of things. It is otherwise flavorless and the aftertaste is really unpleasant. I sort of hate it, the second and third drink do not improve the beer and the after taste goes more vegetal until it tastes like I'm drinking cream corn and boiled cabbage. Nope, not a repeat.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 03:00:51 | More by drabmuh

tjacobs610

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Good retention. Has a pale yellow golden hue with perfect clarity.

S- Cornish aroma, maybe some grain as well.

T- Solid in a light body. Grainy with mild hop bitterness. Clean on the palate with a smoothness that will make you want to take another sip.

D- Easy to drink with mild flavors and a good wash of crispness. A tasty American Lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 11:00:27 | More by tjacobs610

Gushue3

Massachusetts

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

A Large white head forms that turns thin and foamy which stays around for a while. Body is a very pale yellow and clear. No carbonation seen and not lively at all. Surprised by the head actually.

S Pale malt and some fruity esters but pretty subdued. Thats about it.

T Somewhat sweet in the front that fades to a light sweet flavor that I associate with an adjunct lager. Not great tasting but a solid standby for the style

M Thin and watery, very easy to crush. Heavy carbonation with small bubbles.

O Welp its a High Life, the champagne of beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 01:22:08 | More by Gushue3

lwillitz

Florida

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

12-oz bottle into weizen glass

A - 1 finger bubbly white head atop crystal-clear body of straw yellow with moderate carbonation bubbles

S - malty corn smell; just a clean grainy nose

T - corny malt flavor balanced with a touch of generic hop bitterness, corn and a hint of alcohol combine for the finish

M - light/medium body, high carbonation; quite refreshing

O - High Life is bland on all counts, but close to par for the style. It would be refreshing after mowing the lawn, but not very enjoyable for much else.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 22:53:48 | More by lwillitz

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

One quart beer can poured into a Paulaner liter stein. Lots of foamy head, about a five fingers worth. Maybe the pour was too quick. Golden colored body with only a few bubbles going up. It looked pretty good with all the beer and a think head of foam.
Smell is metallic and white rice. Not great.
Taste is water with white sugar. Not a trace of bitterness to be found.
Kind of fizzy, though only moderate carbonation. Light and sticky body.
It's not the worse, but you can to much better.

Serving type: can

11-16-2012 01:06:32 | More by Fatehunter

merc7186

New York

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

Id like to thank Fuji13 for sharing this white whale.

A: Golden Straw Hue, Passes All Light, White Head Ring, No Lacing

S: Corn, Barley

T: Corn, Barley

M: Average Carbonation, Light Bodied, Mildly Flavorless

Overall, wow....simply amazing...a really big waste for the cham-pag-ne of beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 00:53:17 | More by merc7186

ilovemacros

4.85/5  rDev +79%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My other go to beer. When i need a change of pace from Coors Banquet, I go with MHL. A great summer beer when your BBQing or hanging out at the river. tastes great. MHL in the bottle is great. Cans arent bad either, but the bottled MHL tastes better to me. I love the classic look also. As bad as Miller light is...MHL is that good, lol.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 18:20:38 | More by ilovemacros

JamesMN

Minnesota

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

Appearance: Crystal clear straw/pale yellow with a white soapy head. Actually leaves good lacing.

Aroma: Sort of generic light pilsener corn and adjunct smell. Really not much there but almost a hint of sweet malt.

Taste: Lots of skunk in the taste. Just a hint of bitterness but that might be a contribution from the skunky flavor. Really not much to like in this one. Some corn in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Lower side of medium bodied and super effervescent. Above average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Eh, it's your basic macro-lager. Not much to like but not the worst of its kind.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 01:45:30 | More by JamesMN

Wolfee02

3.53/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

First off I have to say how truly underrated this beer is right along with Pabst Blue Ribbon. These two beers are nice refreshing lagers at an honest price. And for macro brews they really do not disappoint. I picked up a 12 pack for 6.99, what an honest price and a beer that is worth trying!
The appearance is that typical of a macro brew lager gold or bright yellow. As soon as I open this up either out of a bottle or can it foams to the top like a bottle of campaign, Hence "The Campaign of beers". It also has a decent head on it, more than other american adjuncts.
It smells like sweet malts and barley and sugar, kind of skunky (which is nice)
It tastes smooth with a nice, refreshing and sweet aftertaste. It is extremely smooth and nice to have after a long day.
This will always be my "go to" beer along with PBR. I enjoy Euro Pale Lagers, Micro Brews and craft beers but you can never go wrong with the "High Life"!

Serving type: can

09-06-2012 06:54:49 | More by Wolfee02

elNopalero

Texas

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

Believe it or not I found this surprisingly … ok. After drinking far too much Bud, Bud Lite, PBR and Lone Star over the years (how’s that for brand loyality?) I found this a refreshing break from the same musty flavors I’m used to in mass produced lagers. Not saying this was incredibly good (oh lord no!) but I’d have another one if it was ice cold in a cooler at a friend’s birthday party and that was my only option. Which is how I ended up drinking this in the first place.

It pours a piss yellow gold with foam that disappears without a trace.

There’s what I can best describe as a musty lager aroma. It’s faint but there.

Flavor is smooth with a clear finish. It’s slightly musty and some corn sweetness round it out. Honestly, there ain’t much here but what there is does not offend my delicate sensibilities as much as I had expected.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 19:45:34 | More by elNopalero

jimmah120

Minnesota

2.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz can into pint glass

Look is a pale golden color with a 2 finger pure-white head. Suprisingly good lacing. With a little more golden color this would look like every beer you've seen in a commercial, ever. Smells like a barnyard; hay, must, corn, more metallic mustiness. The feel is all water at first, with a slight heaviness to it, with a crispy carbonated finish. Taste is a palatable mix of corn, hay, and musty underarm.

Overall, this beer does what it intends well. It is light, inoffensive, beer-y tasting beer. Plus you can get a six pack of pint cans for around $5. Not too shabby.

Serving type: can

08-20-2012 09:15:17 | More by jimmah120

palma

New York

4.05/5  rDev +49.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

In my opinion this is one of the best macro American lagers out there. I love this beer. If I'm not drinking craft, I'm drinking this.

Piss yellow clear body. Fizzy, semi-frothy, white, short lasting head, but a very lasting and stickly lace. Much better head compared to other macros.

Aroma is sweet corn, hay, very light malt. Minor vegital. Almost no hop aroma. But clean. No skunk, no off aroma - very smellable for a macro.

Taste is typical macro with a little more malty breadiness and a noticeable semi-dryness. Very nice if you are in the mood for a non-craft beer that is easy drinking but still has at least a smidge of complexity in the malt profile.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 17:38:14 | More by palma

netrioter

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +45%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

easily one of the best "old school" beers on the market...easily a top shelf lager...PBR is the only better old school beer,but thats been ruined by hipsters and prices have doubled or almost tripled in some areas

great with food...almost any kind of food.

perfect carbonation and good flavor....the best beer in the Miller stable

if youre a lager fan...this is an excellent choice...if youre an elitist...you probably wont like it

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 22:05:50 | More by netrioter

BucannonXC5

California

2.3/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 32-oz. bomber into a pilsner glass at my house on July 31, 2012 (picked it up for 2 for $3.98 at 7/11 in San Diego, Calif., on July 31, 2012). About two fingers of head. Color was basically gold, urine like. Foamy, frothy white head/lacing on the top. Surprisingly good retention on the top and the sides.

Smelled corn, metallic, wheat, bread, grass. Slight caramel sugar. Heavy cereal.

Tasted not so much. Got lots of cereal (Cheerios, Shredded Wheat). Corn, metallic, wheat, grass.

Light body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Abrupt, watery finish.

Never liked this beer and still don’t like it when rating it. Plenty of better options.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 07:24:59 | More by BucannonXC5

soju6

Missouri

2.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a light golden color with a good head that fades to bits of lacing.

S: Aroma of grain, and bits of malt sweetness.

T: Taste of grain and malt sweetness. Decent bitterness and a clean finish.

F: Light body, fairly crisp, smooth and refreshing.

O: Not bad for a macro beer. Could do a lot worse.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 11:59:00 | More by soju6