Miller High Life, also known as ‘the champagne of beers’ due to its clear glass bottle, was launched in 1903. Although the name might make you think there is another ‘normal’ Miller beer, there isn’t anymore. Miller High Life currently is the Miller Brewing Company’s flagship beer, of which they sold a staggering 3 400 000 barrels in 2018. But where is all this beer made?

All Miller High Life is brewed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It might also be brewed in on of The Miller Brewing Company’s other brewing plants in Georgia, Wisconsin (2 plants), North Carolina, Texas, California and Ohio. Any Miller High Life that is sold across the border is imported from the US. Its regional headquarters are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

However, this certainly does not tell Miller High Life’s full story. Below, we’ll tell you more about where the company was first founded, the different breweries and who currently owns Miller High Life.

Where is this beer brewed?

Where is Miller High Life brewed in the US?

Although Miller High Life is sold in various parts of the world, all beer is brewed in of the seven plants in the US.  

In order to discuss where Miller High Life is brewed, we need to have a quick look at its history. This beer was launched in 1903 by the Miller Brewing Company, located in Milwaukee.

Although Miller High Life’s website mentions the beer deserved the nickname ‘The Champagne of Bottle Beer’ within three years, it was really just clever marketing. The clear glass bottle, shaped like a champagne bottle, made this beer seem a little more high-end, which is part of the reason why it became so popular.

So, although they started with one plant, they ended up opening 6 more in the 1960s, to meet demand. As a result, there are currently 7 in total:

  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Original brewery)
  • Albany, Georgia
  • Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
  • Eden, North Carolina
  • Fort Worth, Texas
  • Irwindale, California
  • Trenton, Ohio

Now, which one of these breweries brews Miller High Life isn’t mentioned by the company. We know that the original brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin definitely does; it is a quintessential part of the Miller Brewing Company’s history, and currently still offers tours to see how Miller High Life (and Miller Lite!) is made.

Unfortunately, we cannot say with certainty which beers the other breweries make.

If you’re wanting to go on a tour we recommend having a look on their website if and when there are any available. They also offer special needs tours for those with disabilities. However, if you can’t make it to Milwaukee, this video should give you a good impression of what it’s like inside the flagship brewery.

Where Was Miller High Life Founded?

Miller High Life is a product currently sold by The Miller Brewing Company, as a subsidiary of Molsen Coors.

The beer was created by Fredrick Miller in 1855, when he took a special kind of yeast with him from Germany. After he settled, he bought a small brewery  in Milwaukee, which is the location of The Miller Brewing Company’s headquarters to this day.  It was the ideal location for a brewery; just outside of Milwaukee meant there was enough for the large cellars, nearby springs for plenty of fresh water and ingredients that could easily be bought and transported from the nearby farms.

Eventually, Miller decided to expand their reach throughout Wisconsin, which resulted in a complex consisting of multiple buildings and changing the name from Watertown Plank Road, to Menomonee Valley Brewery 1973.

The Miller Brewing Company stayed in the Miller family until 1966, when it was sold by Lorraine John Mulberger, who was Fredricks granddaughter, as she objected to alcohol.  In 2002, the company was once again sold, this time to South African Breweries (SAB), which later formed MillerCoors in 2008. You’ll find more information about The Miller Brewing Companies current ownership and past merges at the bottom of this article.

Where is Miller High Life headquarters?

The Miller Brewing Company, which currently produces Miller High Life is a subsidiary of Molson Coors. Molsen Coors has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The Miller Brewing Company however, is headquartered where they first started: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is also the place their most iconic brewery is located.

However, the company has several offices across the globe.

Is Miller High Life Made In Canada?

Initially, Miller High Life was only sold in Milwaukee, and later all of the US. Nowadays, if you’re wanting to enjoy Miller High Life whilst farther up north, this is also possible.  In 2017 the canned version of this beer became available in Canada, and later, in 2018, the iconic bottled variety was launched in Canada too. Still, any Miller High Life sold across the borders is imported from the US. Again, although we know for certain that the Milwaukee breweries makes Miller High Life, we unfortunately cannot be sure about the other breweries.

Is Miller Light owned by Anheuser-Busch?

With its many mergers and acquisitions it is not surprising many have lost track of which company  owns Miller High Life. In short, the beer is currently a brand still under The Miller Brewing Company, which is a subsidiary of Molsen Coors. Although they came close, Anheuser-Busch never owned Miller High Life.

As mentioned previously, South African Breweries (also knows as SAB) bought The Miller Brewing Company in 2002, which created the second largest brewing company, right behind Anheuser-Busch. The latter had already acquired InterBrew and AmBev at this time. SAB then also changed its name to SAB Miller to reflect the acquisition. They were headquarted in Woking, England.

Six years later, in 2008, SAB Miller joined forces with Molson Coors and created Miller Coors as a joint venture. Both of these companies wanted to combine their brewing, sales and marketing forces, which they presumed would make both more profitable. Miller High Life was part of this deal.

Another eight years later, in 2016, SAB Miller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev. They were, as mentioned the result of a merge between Interbrew, Anheuser-Busch and AmBev.

However, this did not mean they would now own Miller High Life.  Part of the deal was to divest itself of its interests in the MillerCoors company, which is how Molson Coors became the sole owner of MillerCoors and thus, the Miller High Life beer.

As a result AB InBev, or Anheuser-Busch isn’t currently and was never, the owner of the Miller High Life beer. AB InBev does own Miller High Life’s direct competitor Bud Light, which currently holds the number 2 spot for most sold Light Beer in the US, shipping more than 33 million barrels of the beer in 2017.

Sources

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