I have to admit, sometimes I’m a sucker for a new beer. Even If it’s a beer by a megabrewer, one I just know is probably going to be another variation on a mainstream lager. Sometimes, I’ll buy the stuff anyway. And that’s what I did with Miller’s 1855 Celebration Lager. The label looked nice, anyway, so I thought I would give it a try.

If you’ve seen the stuff, then you may know it’s only available for a short time. "1855" refers to the year Fredrick Miller, the company’s namesake, began brewing. In honor of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of that milestone, Miller is releasing this “special” beer. As you might suspect, this is a beer targeted at the mainstream drinker: craft beer enthusiasts need not apply.

I applied, though, and what I got was more or less another mainstream American lager, albeit one with a little more malt and a little less adjunct then your average brew. It really struck me as not all that different from Miller High Life , which is probably one of the better beers in its class. Of course, I was expecting more here, so that left me a little disappointed.

A lot of breweries introduce something special around the end of the year, and I have a feeling that’s what Miller is trying to do here. But really, this isn’t anything extra, other than the hype. I think Frederick Miller would be a bit disappointed with this one were he still alive today. After all, 150 years is a long time to wait for a lackluster brew. The good news: it doesn’t cost any more than a six pack of bud, though it is about 50 cents more expensive then most Miller beers.

Miller 1855 Celebration Lager pours to a pale golden color with a light fizzy head formation and a soft biscuit malt nose. The palate is smooth, mainly light biscuit malt flavors and not much more. There isn’t much adjunct flavor, though, which is a good thing, until I pick up a tad, just a tad mind you, in the finish. The finished is balanced, not much hops but it isn’t sweet either.

Ice cold, this is passable, and it’s a step up from Bud or Coors in my opinion. But I didn’t find anything to celebrate out. If you drink any of the latter two megabrews or anything from Miller, this might interest you. But aside from the fancy label, this is just another megabrew.

Home