A History of American Beer...umm, Miller High Life

I'm getting ready to brew my own beer, and that got me thinking back to the origin of the things, to the very first gathered sprigs of hop and barley, and the delightful sweetness of a surprise fermentation...etc. So one night, drinking my favorite beer, Miller High Life, I thought, hmm, what's the story? Who's the girl in the moon? Why is it called The Champagne of Beers? What did the Miller people envision with this special brew?

So I researched. Here's what I learned.

In the very fertile Miller Valley of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1855, Frederick Miller first founded the Miller Brewing Company. Miller High Life, it turns out, was Miller's oldest brand! I've included the WIki explanation because it is tells you everything you need to know:

"Miller High Life—This beer was put on the market in 1903 and is Miller Brewing's oldest brand. High Life is grouped under the pilsner category of beers and is 4.7% ABV. The prevailing slogan on current packaging is 'The Champagne of Beers,' an adaptation of its long standing slogan 'The Champagne of Bottled Beers.' Accordingly, this beer is noted for its high level of carbonation, making it a very bubble filled beverage like champagne. It was originally available in miniature champagne bottles and was one of the premier high end beers in the country for many years. Except for a brief period in the 1990s, High Life bottles have always been quite distinctive, as they have a bright gold label and are made of a clear glass that has a tapered neck like a champagne bottle. High Life has brought back its 'Girl in the Moon' logo, which features by today's standards a modestly dressed young lady that, by legend, is company founder Frederick Miller's granddaughter. High Life beat out 17 other contestants to take home the gold medal in 'American-style Lagers' at the 2002 World Beer Cup."

Did you catch who "The Girl in the Moon" is? Frederick Miller's granddaughter!!!

Here's a fun fact relating Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life:

"Originally introduced as 'Miller High Life Genuine Draft', the 'High Life' part of the name was soon dropped. MGD is actually made from the same recipe as Miller High Life, with a different treatment. High Life is heat pasteurized after packaging and MGD is filtered before packaging."

Wow!
Wiki does not give a good explanation of the process "heat pasteurizing," but apparently, it is responsible for the difference between normal Miller and special Miller High Life. So I guess it translates, roughly, into "awesomeness, love, the best stuff in the world, the joy of my life..."

*note: all information was acquired from wikipedia, search terms: "miller high life"

Ok,a tangent. I've noticed that all kinds of boys will drink light beers or regular beers indiscriminately, if they're of the Miller, Bud, or Natural Brand...aka cheap, easily chuggable kinds. However, boys only smoke Camel Filters, and never Camel Lights. Why oh why???

Have a High Life today. And please observe the smoking selection of your boy and girl friends.