Sometimes you want a beer you can count on.

About Miller High Life, Kyle Kastranec says this on Banquet and Chill (And You May Find Yourself...):

" But the beer I consumed most last year, by both volume and frequency? Miller High Life. By far, hands down, bar none. (What can I say? I contain multitudes.) That may come as a surprise, but I really love the beer. I love the taste. I love the girl in the moon. I love the champagne tagline. But what I love most about High Life is that I don’t have to think about it. "

That's his go-to beer when he's not thinking so much about what he's drinking and is, instead, focused on the people he's with. Because, it's reliable.

Say what you will about "big beer," inconsistent it is not. You can rely on the fact that your next Bud Light (or Miller High Life or Coors...) will taste exactly like the last one. You know what to expect every time.

Even craft brewers will enjoy a macro beer from time to time.  "...Sometimes we like to go home and have a High Life or we like to have a PBR or something," says Brian Pawola, co-founder and brewmaster of Pollyanna Brewing. He and Jim Cibak of Revolution Brewing, and Matt Gallagher of Half Acre Beer Company were challenged by Josh Noel of the Chicago Tribune to a blind taste test of the biggest selling beers to determine which was the best. The results are reported here:

What's best macro beer in America? 3 craft brewers taste test 16 (Chicago Tribune)

The scale was as follows:

5: Sure! I'd be happy to drink this after work and keep it in my fridge at home.
4: Not bad. Works fine for a ballgame or a barbecue.
3: Meh. Not egregious, but macro beer's flaws are starting to show.
2: Bad. This is why I got into craft beer.
1: Abysmal. Someone hand me an IPA, quick! I need this taste out of my mouth!

The best of sixteen beers was (*drumroll*) Hamm's. Second and third places went to Miller Lite and Pabst Blue Ribbon, respectively.

I confess to having enjoyed a Michelob Ultra myself and Hubby has been known to have a Rainier from time to time. Hamm's and the like sell well because not everyone likes hoppy beer. (*gasp*) While sales are falling for beers in the domestic premium category (like Budweiser), sales are on the rise for Hamm's.

" Hamm’s finished 2017 up 74.6 percent on an 87.3 percent jump in volume, according to Nielsen all-outlet and convenience data through Dec. 30. And it’s off to an even hotter start in 2018. Sales of the beer are up 96.9 percent on a 105.8 percent rise in case volume over the four weeks ending Jan. 13, enough to vault Hamm’s to Nielsen’s No. 8 growth brand in beer. " 

Fast-growing Hamm’s looks to stay red-hot in 2018 (MillerCoors Behind the Beer)

 What's in your fridge?