# Why is Miller High Life always the least expensive beer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259 "2003-05-14T18:36:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/1 "2003-05-14T18:36:36Z")
I’ve noticed that Miller High Life is always the cheapest beer(not on sale anyway) at the grocery stores in my area. Why is this? I’ve tried it and rather enjoyed it. Is there less alcohol? More Alcohol? And please, don’t just bash it. The other American beers(Bud, Coors, the other Millers) all cost more and get bashed too. ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/2 "2003-05-14T18:43:49Z")
I always see it at about the same price as Bud, maybe slightly cheaper. I’m in South Florida. ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/3 "2003-05-14T19:10:20Z")
I really don’t know. It’s one of my group’s “drinking for drinking” beers. Really, it should be one of the more expensive ones. If you read the label after all it is “The Champagne of Beers!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/4 "2003-05-14T19:11:50Z")
Miller High Life was once the contender for Most Swilled Beer in America, back in the 1970s. However, when light beers started hitting stores shortly thereafter, High Life’s market share steadily began to drop–partly at the expense of its little brother, Miller Lite. In the '80s, Miller Genuine Draft took over the high-profile “full bodied” slot (and yes, I say that with sarcasm), which sort of left High Life in the lurch. Perpetually stuck in the Number 2 slot, Miller initiated a price war against Anheuser Bush in 1997, according to [this Word document](http://subscribe.wsj.com/microexamples/articlefiles/BigBrewersFindPriceWarSeemsToHaveNoEnd.doc). High Life now appears to compete with AB’s also-ran brand, Busch, and is priced accordingly. It still has a [significant market share](http://www.foodservice.com/news_homepage_expandtitle_fromhome.cfm?passid=2803)–I count myself as a High Life fan–but Miller has other products ahead of it on the prestige and price scale. Miller also has an ace in the hole on the price scale with [The Beast](http://www.rateitall.com/item.asp?I=3B9676AA-66C2-4FB3-89CF-29D885A336B7), as it is known to college students nationwide. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/5 "2003-05-14T21:20:33Z")
Erm … have you checked into Hamm’s, Olympia or Keystone? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/6 "2003-05-14T21:42:10Z")
😕 I’ve observed it to be mid-priced at best, not cheapest by a long shot. Not that I drink it. High Life has about [4.8%](http://http://brewery.org/brewery/library/AlClbinger.html) alcohol, just slightly less than Bud. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/7 "2003-05-15T03:19:47Z")
I’m gonna generalize here, and not give cites. I’m basically agreeing with previous posters. If you go back to the 1960’s, the largest selling beers were probably Miller, Budweiser, and Schlitz. Imported beers probably didn’t amount to 10% of consumption. And boutique breweries, i.e. Anchor Steam was a lone player in the mid-60’s. Craft brewed stuff didn’t get going until the 80’s in general. In the 90’s, the old-line beers were sucking, and loosing share to new things. The breweries couldn’t make much money on them. So the breweries introduced “Ice Beer,” or as they say “Malt liquor for Yuppies.” (And, yeah, it contained more alcohol). And the major breweries have continued to introduce new things. So the old-line beers suck and are cheep. Except I’m swilling down a tall-bBusch right now. Cost=about 65 cents US. Not great, but a bargain. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/8 "2003-05-15T03:43:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*And boutique breweries, i.e. Anchor Steam was a lone player in the mid-60’s. \*\* Anchor Steam in the 60’s? I don’t think so, the modern brewing of this old recipe didn’t occur [until 1971.](http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/) ---
**Author:** ![TBone2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@TBone2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBone2)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/9 "2003-05-15T04:34:17Z")
I can remember when Miller High Life was a front-runner in the beer races. Also, the only major brand I know of that was packaged in clear glass bottles – still is, though I don’t know if it’s a great idea. Beer and UV light don’t mix very well… Of course, I can remember when Carling Black Label was a serious contender on a national scale… “Yoo-hoo, Mabel… Black Label!” When was the last time you saw that horsepiss on the shelf? Where I live, Miller High Life commanded a premium price – for a mass-produced American lager – as late as the mid-1980s. Its decline to a mid-priced secondary brand was probably a result of inferior marketing by Miller Brewing Co. itself. Somehow Anheuser-Busch managed to move into the light beer market while maintaining its dominance with Budweiser, but Miller seemed to embrace its Lite, and later its MGD, without regard to continuing the presence of its flagship beer. The parent seems to have been eaten by its progeny. For the record, **whatami** , the original slogan was, “The Champagne of Bottled Beers.” I work in the heavy highway construction business, and I’ve heard just about every way there is to announce the end of a long, hard day. Sometimes it’s “almost whistle-bit,” sometimes “I hear mama callin’.” Occasionally I hear someone say that it’s “beer-thirty.” But, despite High Life’s decline, the one I hear most is, “It’s Miller Time.” As I nurse my third (and last) Miller Lite of the evening, I salute what is probably one of the best advertising slogans in history – “It’s Miller Time.” ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/10 "2003-05-16T23:46:58Z")
Back when I paid attention to the market for cheap beer, the cheapest one was Lucky Lager. Twelve 11 oz. bottles for something like $4… and there was a rebus puzzle on each bottle cap. Wotta deal! ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/11 "2003-05-17T00:03:30Z")
Ahem. Natty Light anyone? I’m pretty sure that’s the cheapest beer out there. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/12 "2003-05-17T00:31:43Z")
Hey now, **Neurotik** - don’t go dissin’ “the beer with the taste for food.” 🙂 The cheapest beer I have found most everywhere is Schaefer. “It’s the one beer to have when you’re having more than one.” One of the best ad slogans ever. (c.f. Shiek condoms: “Get some”). As for the OP, I haven’t noticed that Miller High Life is any cheaper than Budweiser. Sierra runs the roost in the Bay Area. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/13 "2003-05-17T01:10:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*Ahem. Natty Light anyone? I’m pretty sure that’s the cheapest beer out there. \*\* God that stuff is crap, but it goes for about $8-9 a case in indiana. There are others that go for about $8-9 a case here but i forget their names ---
**Author:** ![Kempis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kempis/32/19248_2.png) [@Kempis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kempis)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/14 "2003-05-17T01:16:13Z")
Where did I read that wine and beer are exempt from labelling laws? Was it here? Well whereever it was I’m pretty sure Miller and other cheap beers get that way because they can use preservatives, stabilizers, and whatnot in order to make the beer cheaper. I also think that’s why the German imports are more popular among people who want something tasty, they have laws against extra stuff in beer. It’s like the difference between a homemade cake and something from Hostess. It’s possible to get better beer at the same price, you just gotta know where to look. -k ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/15 "2003-05-17T01:20:52Z")
Hmmm. I distinctly remember drinking Stroh’s in my student days because it was both cheap and drinkable, as well as being “fire brewed”, whatever that meant … it came in 8 bottle cartons instead of 6, for about the same price. Of course, Silver Top was cheaper. Now THAT was truly swill. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/16 "2003-05-17T03:08:28Z")
There’s more than one way to live…the High Life! The High Life man knows if the pharoahs had had duct tape, the sphinx would still have a nose! It’s the mouth feel thing, man. It’s the mouth feel. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/17 "2003-05-17T04:23:27Z")
The cheapest beer I’ve found in recent history is [BURGER BEER](http://www.littlekings.com/Burger.htm). I see it here in Milwaukee for $3.99 a 12 pack, and anywhere from $6.99-$7.99 a case, though I saw it at the Pick-n-Save last week on sale for $6.49 a case (that’s a case, 24 12 ounce cans). I doubt anyone can beat $7.99 a case much less $6.49 a case!Miller High Life is certainly more expensive than that. I don’t know if this stuff is available everywhere. I know it’s made in Ohio, and it actually is a beer name from way back. I’ve only seen it here for about the last year or so. ---
**Author:** ![Skillet38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Skillet38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skillet38)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/18 "2003-05-17T06:03:09Z")
there must be some regional discrepencies. Down here in the south, I noticed Miller High Life all of a sudden plunged down to 4.99 a 12 pack a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-miller-high-life-always-the-least-expensive-beer/175259/19 "2003-05-17T06:35:49Z")
So, what happened to just plain “Miller” beer? It came in a red can/label. They made it to directly butt heads with Bud (and though I’m not a big fan of either Miller or AB, Miller “red” was, IMHO, a bit better than Bud, and much better than regular High Life). It must of flopped I’m guessing. I’m in Milwaukee and it’s nowhere here.