In the Fridge: Miller High Life
Truly "The Champagne of Beers" and worth keeping around given the bargain-basement price point
Even when you’re the cocktail guy, not everyone that comes to the house is going to want a cocktail every time. Not all events call for cocktails. And at times I have learned this the hard way (too much booze, too much ice, very little cold and ready to serve…).
Indeed, some folks just want a cold beer. And some events call for quite a few cold, light beers. And increasingly in my fridge that beer is Miller High Life. Here’s why:
It’s available already cold just about everywhere
It’s almost always less than $1/beer
It actually tastes pretty good, especially relative to the competition at that price point
It’s almost always available in bottles (which becomes important if you want something a little more than a beer…)
Let’s take these in order:
Available Cold Almost Everywhere
This is key - it allows this to be a “last minute” purchase and still be ready for consumption. And it doesn’t need to take up fridge space for hours in advance.
Usually less than $1/Beer
Often times it’s closer to 50 cents than a buck. When you’re often biasing towards more expensive spirits, it’s nice to have a true budget option you like.
Tastes Pretty Good, and Much Better than Competition
Is this great beer? No, not even close. But, is it terrible? Also no, not even close. There’s a classic “cheap malt” taste up front that pretty much any macrobrew light beer is going to have, but then it gives way to some true bready flavor and a ton of bubbles. They call it the champagne of beers for a reason - it hits a lot of the same notes.
But don’t just take my word for it - /r/beer is full of people coming to the same realization.
Available in Bottles = Spaghetts
This is really the best part - having MLH around allows you to easily make a Spaghett any time you want. Here’s what you do:
Take a swig to get the beer down to the bottom of the label “X”
Fill the bottle back up to the top of the moon with the amaro of your choice (about 1.5 ounces)
Optionally add in a lemon slice
Stir it very gently with a long spoon
Even though this is classically made with Aperol, that’s not in the house “well” and thankfully replacing with any available amaro will do.
With Campari, it’s very bitter and very orangey. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s a bit bracing and may start veering away from being the incredibly refreshing easy sipper that works well with this beer.
But Cynar is amazing here - there’s still a lot of beer flavor, but it’s all complimented by a deep bitter finish that takes away any cheap beer aftertaste. Highly, highly recommend - this may be worth keeping a beer cold all on its own.