There’s something special about Miller High Life. This no-frills, cheap, thirst-quenching American adjunct lager is as classic as beer gets. Best imbibed in its clear bottles adorned with the simple Miller High Life label and the iconic image of a woman sitting on the moon while hoisting a frosty brew, it’s crisp, refreshing, and highly crushable.
Fans of the beer are very loyal to the brand. But if they want to try something else in the same vein, there are tons of great lager options available. From big brands like Narragansett, Jack’s Abby, and Bell’s to Creature Comforts and SingleCut, myriad lagers are well-suited for fans of the classic, crisp, refreshing “Champagne of beers.”
Don’t worry, while we mentioned that countless lagers fit the bill, we aren’t going to make you find these diamonds in the rough. We took the liberty of picking eight of the best lagers for fans of Miller High Life and ranking them on overall crisp, refreshing flavor notes and profile. Read on to see the champ!
8.) Narragansett Lager
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $7 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If this lager was good enough to be “crushed by Quint” in Jaws, it should be good enough for you. The epitome of a no-frills, crushable beer, it’s brewed with six-row malt, a mix of hops from the Pacific Northwest, Iowa corn, a proprietary lager strain, and pure water from Lake Ontario and Hemlock Lake.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of cereal grains, honey, sweet corn, caramel malt, and floral hops greets you before your first sip. Drinking it reveals a crisp, easy-drinking lager with flavors like sweet corn, cereal grains, lemon, honey, hay, and more floral hops. It’s crisp and refreshing at the finish
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for crushing on a hot day. It’s not overly exciting when it comes to aroma and palate, but that’s not the point. It’s a classic easy-drinking beer.
7.) Bell’s Lager for the Lakes
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $13 for a twelve-pack
The Beer:
Bell’s used to make a crisp lager called Lager of the Lakes, but that beer was discontinued in favor of its new Lager for the Lakes. Confused? Don’t worry. So are we. This version is a crisp, clean pilsner that was created to bring awareness to the need to preserve and protect clean lakes. That being said, it’s totally crushable and thirst-quenching as well.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find aromas of cracker-like malts, wet grass, cereal grains, honey, lemon peels, and floral, earthy hops on the nose. The palate is loaded with more cracker-like malts, honey, lemongrass, hay, cereal grains, and floral, herbal, and Noble hops. It’s crisp, clean, and straightforward to drink.
Bottom Line:
This is a very well-balanced, but still sessionable lager. It has malt sweetness up front and a nice kick of Noble hops at the finish.
6.) Rhinegeist Cheetah
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
The folks at Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist set out to make a classic, crisp, easy-drinking, balanced lager and did just that with Cheetah. This beer isn’t trying to be anything it isn’t. It’s a malt-forward, gently hoppy lager that you can sip all year long. If you’re a fan of Miller High Life, you’ll love this refreshing lager.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of lemon peels, honey, freshly baked bread, yeast, cereal grains, and floral hops greet your nostrils before your first sip. There’s more of the same on the palate with bready, caramel malts up front followed by lemon peels, honey, and floral hops. The finish is clean, crisp, and lightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve never tried this beer, what are you waiting for? It’s a complex, well-balanced take on the no-frills, crisp lager style.
5.) Howdy Beer Western Pilsner
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
With a name like ‘Howdy Beer’, you should assume that this is a classic, no-frills beer. This Colorado-brewed pilsner was created to taste like a beer a cowboy might want to drink after a long day roping cattle. But even if your work is behind a computer, you can enjoy this crisp, thirst-quenching malty, lightly hoppy beer.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find notes of sweet corn, cereal grains, honey, citrus peels, and floral hops on the nose. Sipping it reveals more corn sweetness, cereal grains, hay, wet grass, caramel malt, citrus peels, honey, and floral, earthy hops. The finish is crisp, hoppy, and lightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you’re into beers with corn-sweet, floral-hopped, crisp, refreshing beers, this is the one for you. It’s perfect in its simplicity.
4.) Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $9 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
After a long day of work, there’s nothing better than a crisp, clean, refreshing lager. Anything else just isn’t acceptable. The brewers at Jack’s Abby are well aware of this. Available year-round, its Post Shift Pilsner is known for its thirst-quenching flavor and mix of cracker malts and floral, earthy hops.
Tasting Notes:
This Bavarian-style lager begins with a nose of cereal grains, wet grass, hay, lemon zest, honey, and floral, earthy hops. The palate is filled with yeasty, bready malts, nutty sweetness, wet grass, hay, lemon peel, and earthy, floral hops. The finish is dry, lightly bitter, and very crisp.
Bottom Line:
This is a surprisingly complex, balanced pilsner. That being said, it’s still crushable and refreshing and perfect for a break from your usual High Life.
3.) Creature Comforts Classic City Lager
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Who wouldn’t want to drink a beer called Classic City Lager? This sessionable lager from Athens, Georgia’s Creature Comforts is known for its easy-drinking, no-frills flavor. Made with simple ingredients like malted barley and hops, it’s a can’t-miss for High-Life drinkers.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all lemon zest, bready malts, honey, hay, and floral, herbal hops. It’s a great start to a classic lager. Drinking it reveals notes of cereal grains, sweet corn, lemon peels, hay, fresh-cut grass, honey, and floral hops. The finish is malty, floral, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for drinkers looking for a “Classic” lager. It ticks all the crisp, refreshing lager boxes.
2.) North Coast Scrimshaw
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Named for the elaborate engravings created by sailors in the 1800s, this easy-drinking pilsner was brewed with Munich malt as well as Hallertauer and Tettnang hops. The result is a German-style lager with classic clean, crisp, floral flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Breathing in the nose, you’ll find aromas of crisp apples, citrus peels, honey, cereal grains, and floral hops. The palate is similar with bready malts, cereal grains, honey sweetness, lemon peel, hay, and floral, earthy, Noble hops. The finish is dry, and crisp, and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
As German-style pilsners go, it’s tough to beat the appeal of North Coast Scrimshaw. It’s a great beer when you want a break from High Life.
1.) SingleCut Frequency Lager
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This award-winning, sessional lager is known for its simple, crisp, easy-drinking flavor profile. It gets that flavor from the use of malt sourced from Europe as well as European hops. On top of that, in the true old world style, it’s unfiltered and horizontally lagered for months before it’s ready.
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of honey, freshly baked bread, citrus peels, and floral, spicy, earthy hops greet you before you even take your first sip. Drinking it reveals a complex flavor profile featuring notes of sweet malts, fresh bread, cereal grains, orange peels, lemon, and floral hops. The finish is dry, crisp, and lightly bitter in the best way possible.
Bottom Line:
If you only drink one beer on this list, make it SingleCut Frequency. It’s classic, crisp, and loaded with authentic German aromas and flavors.
