Miller Lite

This may be a very difficult review for me to write fairly in some regards.  I've got the BJCP guidelines open next to me so I can hopefully be more even-handed in my review than I might otherwise be.  I'm partial to beers that use a minimal amount of adjuncts, since I don't always enjoy the adjuncty tastes.  (In case you haven't figgered it out by now, I like making up my own adjectives.  I do not like, however, when Subway commercials do the same.  I'm a hypocrite.  What of it?)

Miller Lite falls squarely into the Lite American Lager category of the BJCP.  The straw coloring and lack of any real head are fairly typical of this style.  Despite the fact that it looks like a glass of urine from some dehydrated bastard, it does match the style guidelines.  7/10 for appearance

There is only a very, very slight grainy aroma, very difficult to detect.  Going by the BJCP guidelines, this fits the category.  Going by my rubric, it would receive a fairly low score.  I should revise the aroma row of my rubric.  Since it does abide by the style guidelines, I can't really grade it too harshly on aroma.  22/30 for aroma

There is very little taste to really evaluate here, and the slight taste that exists is thin and watery.  However, this style isn't supposed to have a strong flavor, and I can see why many people consider this a "refreshing" beverage, though I would not myself describe it that way.  My buddies and I jokingly refer to it (and most other Lite American Lagers) as piss-water or yellow fizzy.  That being said, the detectable flavor is mostly grainy (corn?) with just a faint hint of nuttiness.  I really don't taste much in the way of hops at all.  It isn't really a bad taste, and it certainly isn't an overpowering taste.  Nor does it leave much of an aftertaste, except maybe a slight stale flavor on the back of the tongue.  There aren't any signs of skunking, and I can taste no off-flavors.  It is very difficult for me to assess this beer fairly (which is why I'm relying on my rubric and the BJCP guidelines very heavily here...), but I would feel comfortable giving this a 30/40 for taste.  (My personal preference would put it closer to 8/40, give or take)

I honestly feel that the moderate to high levels of carbonation detract from the experience of the beer here.  It becomes somewhat difficult to really taste all aspects of the beer because of the sharp effervescence.  That much bubbly coupled with that scanty taste is an unbalanced combination.  And here we find another fault with my rubric, which I will need to adjust: the mouthfeel is within the BJCP guidelines, but it would score poorly on my rubric.  7/10 for mouthfeel

I do have to rate this beer pretty low for drinkability, though.  When guests bring this beer to my house, the leftover cans usually go in a crock pot with some corned beef, not into my glass.  I rarely want a beer so badly that I'll grab any kind of Lite American Lager, except for maybe Yuengling lager, which has a bit more taste and slightly less carbonation than its competitors.  2/10 for drinkability

Overall, I give this beer a 68/100.  While it does meet the Lite American Lager criteria, I don't particularly care for it.  I'm somewhat surprised that my score for this beer came out as high as it did, so I guess working with the guidelines and a rubric did help me be a little more level and fair than I otherwise might have been.  And, this was obviously a good beer to test my rubric against, since it did point out a couple flaws that I will need to address.

Ok, I'll be honest.  I only really had this beer for two reasons: 1) I wanted to evaluate a style of beer that I hadn't already covered, and 2) it was $1 on tap.  Seriously, how could I turn down a dollar draft, even if it is a pretty crappy beer?  It cost like 1/4 as much as my appetizer did.  I may be a beer geek, but I'm certainly not a beer snob.

On to the next one...  Cheers!