American Macro Week: Miller Genuine Draft

American Macro WeekMiller Genuine Draft is the "premium" brew from Miller Brewing that was introduced in 1985. It’s "cold filtered four times for smoother flavor" and sits at 4.66% alcohol by volume.

I have to admit, back in my youthful beer drinking days, before discovering home- and microbrew, I considered MGD to indeed be a "premium" beer and would splurge and enjoy it from time to time. So there’s a bit of nostalgia value there, and I’m quite sure it played a role in imprinting what "beer" should be to my inexperienced senses.

Reviewed from the 24-ounce can at chilled refrigerator temperature.

Miller Genuine DraftAppearance: Pale yellow with a hint of gold-orange; very clear with the "bubbly" effect. Head—white and rocky; lacing.

Smell: Lightly toasted grains with a hint of something sour; otherwise, it’s got the watery, light-to-none aroma profile like the others.

Taste: Grainy "beer" flavor; so far this is the one I’m most associating with what I consider to be the iconic or representative example of the American macro; perhaps this is a nostalgic throwback to my early days of drinking MGD? Toasted grains and a bit of biscuit. Hops—well, if I detect them at all it’s pretty minimal. There’s a touch of corn here too.

Mouthfeel: Light and gassy and smooth but there’s a less-clean "residue" feeling after a swig.

The verdict: Overall, it’s pretty drinkable. It’s a bit "heavier" that the others so far, maybe because of the level of carbonation/gassiness and the "premium" quality? Not sure, but that’s the impression I get as I drink it.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a letter grade of D+ (same from the Bros.). On RateBeer, it scores 1.59 out of 5 and is in their 2nd percentile.