American Macro Week: Hamm’s

American Macro WeekI have a soft spot for Hamm’s ("the beer refreshing"), not so much for it’s drinkability factor (I never really drank this) but because, like Rainier, of the commercials they used to run. And the jingle. The jingle was huge.

In fact, Wikipedia’s page on Hamm’s Brewery includes the full lyrics to the jingle… I’ll wait.

Anyway, these days Hamm’s is just the marketing brand; the beer is brewed by Miller. I’m reviewing it from the 24-ounce can, and since I bagged on Busch yesterday for having the ugliest can (along with Coors Light), I have to say that Hamm’s has the best packaging design of all of these… simple and attractive.

Hamm'sAppearance: Very clear pale-straw yellow (hints of gold). Head is choppy and white and looks artificial.

Smell: Grainy and sharp; light sulfur, I think, and mineral-y.

Taste: Rough grains with a hint of sulfur (think sulfured molasses without the molasses… or camden tablets). Corn. Otherwise, light, "usual" lack of character.

Mouthfeel: Light—thin but not watery per se—rough and really gassy.

The verdict: Another rough one… not as much as Rainier but it certainly shows less refinement (filtration, carbonation, etc.) that some of the "big" ones. Sulfury bite is the big standout here, but it’s not as bad as the Budweiser.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a letter grade of C- (C+ from the Bros.)—which is actually the best overall from BA for all of these beers so far. On RateBeer, it scores 1.75 out of 5 and is in their 4th percentile… also a decent showing on RB for a macro.