Beer of the Weekend #261: Miller Lite

Tonight’s beer is yet another wonder of modern commercialism and efficiency that is as American as apple pie: Miller Lite, brewed by the Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (It is a part of Miller Coors, which itself is a subsidiary of Molson Coors, which is the North American venture of SABMiller. I think that’s how it goes.)


I took this beauty from the fridge at my parents’ house. Thankfully for me, my dad bought a case of it a few weeks ago, saving me the shame and money of buying a 40 or sixer myself.

Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. The date printed on the shoulder is “OCT0311.”

Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a clean and clear very pale straw. A half-finger of light, white foam dissipated to leave a thin ring around the edge and a spot of lacing in the center.

Smell: Adjunct grain sweetness (it smells corn-based) and a little lemon. No sign of the three hops.

Taste: The first sip offers a nice beer bite to wake the taste buds (I did not drink anything before this), but it was also the last sip to offer anything close to complexity. Slightly sweet adjunct flavor and a tiny bit of citrus zest.

Drinkability: At least the bottle has a vortex neck so you can chug it faster.

Fun facts about Miller Lite:

-Style: BA classifies it as “Light Lager.”

-Price: I have no clue and do not want to find out.

-Serving temperature: Flippin’ ice cold, baby. BA, though, recommends 40-45ºF.

-Alcohol content: 4.17 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: My grandma likes drinking it with chili and pizza.

-Introduced in 1975, Miller Lite was the first low-calorie beer to be distributed nationally, making it the first “mainstream light beer,” as the Miller Lite website says. It was, however, not the first light beer.

-Unlike Coors Light and Bud Light, Miller Lite does not have any kind of personal mystique or memories. Except…

-The first beer I ever drank was a Miller Lite. (I had to start somewhere.) It was on my seventeenth birthday. After attending the UI homecoming parade, I begged my parents to let me drink it. They caved, but with an exception: I would share it with my mom. She drank her half from the can and I drank mine from a small glass. Having never had more than a sip of beer before (I do not really remember), I forced myself to drink it all. To this day I still have the can. Just like Scrooge McDuck had his “Number One Dime,” I have my first beer.



The Quiet Man’s grade: D.

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