Beer of the Weekend #337: Miller High Life
Well, I did not get to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with an Irish stout. I was not feeling it. Plus, warm weather and lacto/nitro stout just do not go well together, no matter how cold I would have kept the cans. Regardless, I had a fun time. Now it is back to the ol’ Friday grind.
A couple weeks ago my parents were in Wisconsin and picked up a couple sixers of New Glarus brew. I wish I took some camping, but no worries: this weekend will be used for my Great Adjunct Adventure so I can enjoy some Fat Squirrel. Needless to say, I will be livin’ the high life.
The beer of the weekend is Miller High Life, brewed by the Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Wis-con-sin! Whoop whoop! (I have no clue why I just wrote that, but Wisconsin is insanely cool.)
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.
Fun facts about the High Life:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Adjunct Lager.”
-Price: $1.99/32-ounce can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Camping/tailgating food. Burgers, brats, you name it.
-After passing the High Life website’s age verification page, the first thing one sees is the trailer to Act of Valor, the movie that basically looks like a full-length commercial for the Marines. Anyway, underneath is this: “The High Life is proud to be a part of Act of Valor – the new movie starring active-duty U.S. Navy Seals.” I will assume the Marines are drinking it — not the terrorists.
-High Life’s appearance in Act of Valor brings up this: High Life’s “Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life” program. We have probably all seen it advertised on TV. The program has ended, but basically High Life drinkers could donate the bottle caps or can tabs from their beers to help vets. Mad props for High Life supporting vets, but I cannot help feeling it is in poor taste, especially given the prevalence of PTSD and rates of alcoholism and drug abuse among veterans. “Drink for the troops!” Okay…
-High Life’s longtime nickname is “The Champagne of Beers,” which is the shortened version of the original, “The Champagne of Bottle Beer.” According to Wikipedia, the champagne comparison is due to High Life’s high carbonation, making it bubbly like champagne. Yeah — I am not seeing it.
-I know I should be doing the light version first, but I just can’t do it.
The Quiet Man’s grade: D+/C-.
A couple weeks ago my parents were in Wisconsin and picked up a couple sixers of New Glarus brew. I wish I took some camping, but no worries: this weekend will be used for my Great Adjunct Adventure so I can enjoy some Fat Squirrel. Needless to say, I will be livin’ the high life.
The beer of the weekend is Miller High Life, brewed by the Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Wis-con-sin! Whoop whoop! (I have no clue why I just wrote that, but Wisconsin is insanely cool.)
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.
Fun facts about the High Life:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Adjunct Lager.”
-Price: $1.99/32-ounce can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Camping/tailgating food. Burgers, brats, you name it.
-After passing the High Life website’s age verification page, the first thing one sees is the trailer to Act of Valor, the movie that basically looks like a full-length commercial for the Marines. Anyway, underneath is this: “The High Life is proud to be a part of Act of Valor – the new movie starring active-duty U.S. Navy Seals.” I will assume the Marines are drinking it — not the terrorists.
-High Life’s appearance in Act of Valor brings up this: High Life’s “Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life” program. We have probably all seen it advertised on TV. The program has ended, but basically High Life drinkers could donate the bottle caps or can tabs from their beers to help vets. Mad props for High Life supporting vets, but I cannot help feeling it is in poor taste, especially given the prevalence of PTSD and rates of alcoholism and drug abuse among veterans. “Drink for the troops!” Okay…
-High Life’s longtime nickname is “The Champagne of Beers,” which is the shortened version of the original, “The Champagne of Bottle Beer.” According to Wikipedia, the champagne comparison is due to High Life’s high carbonation, making it bubbly like champagne. Yeah — I am not seeing it.
-I know I should be doing the light version first, but I just can’t do it.
The Quiet Man’s grade: D+/C-.
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