issues . please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . may 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . may 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message this article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality . discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page . may 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message miller brewing company industry alcoholic beverage founded 1855 headquarters milwaukee wisconsin united states key people tom long ceo products beer parent sabmiller website millercoors.com the miller brewing company is an american beer brewing company headquartered in milwaukee wisconsin owned by sabmiller . the company has brewing facilities in albany georgia ; chippewa falls wisconsin ; eden north carolina ; fort worth texas ; irwindale california ; milwaukee wisconsin ; and trenton ohio . on 1 july 2008 miller formed millercoors a joint venture with rival molson coors to consolidate the production and distribution of its products in the united states with each parent company s corporate operations and international operations remaining separate and independent of the joint venture . the stock ticker symbol is sab.l . contents 1 history 2 current brands 2.1 miller beers 2.2 retired brands 2.3 hamm s beers 2.4 plank road brewery beers 3 sponsorships 4 references 5 external links history edit miller valley contains the miller brewing company in wisconsin . miller brewing company was founded in 1855 by frederick miller when he purchased the small plank road brewery . the brewery s location in the miller valley in milwaukee provided easy access to raw materials produced on nearby farms . the company remained in the family until 1966 . in 1966 the conglomerate w. r. grace and company bought miller from mrs. lorraine john mulberger frederick miller s granddaughter who objected to alcohol and her family . in 1969 philip morris now altria bought miller from w.r. grace for 130 million outbidding pepsico . in 2002 south african breweries bought miller from philip morris for 3.6 billion worth of stock and 2 billion in debt to form sabmiller with philip morris retaining a 36 % ownership share and 24.99 % voting rights . in 2006 miller brewing purchased sparks and steel reserve brands from mckenzie river corporation for 215 million cash . 1 miller had been producing both brands prior to this purchase . 2 in 2007 sabmiller and molson coors combined their u.s. operations in a joint venture called millercoors . sabmiller owns 58 % of the unit which operates in the united states but not in canada where molson coors is strongest . molson coors owns the rest of the joint venture but the companies have equal voting power . 3 4 current brands edit miller beers edit miller genuine draft miller lite a pilsner type light beer . it is 4.2 % abv 4 % in canada . miller genuine draft nicknamed mgd . introduced in 1985 with the claim of tasting like draft beer based on the fact that the beer is cold filtered and not pasteurized . mgd received the gold medal in the american style premium lager category at the 1999 world beer cup . it also received the silver medal at the 2003 great american beer festival . the concept for cold filtered miller genuine draft was developed by product consultant calle & company . martin calle evolved the concept from miller s new ventures effort to launch a new dry beer at a time miller brewing was in danger of becoming a much cloned light beer manufacturer . 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 but with a different treatment . it was developed to try and replicate the non pasteurized keg flavor of high life in a can or bottle . as of 2007 genuine draft had a 1.5 % share of the united states market ; by 2012 it had declined to 0.7 % market share representing a decline of 1.7 million barrels . 5 it has 4.7 % abv . 6 miller 64 formerly miller genuine draft 64 7 a lighter version of the regular miller genuine draft light with a 2.8 % abv also known as mgd 64 . it contains 64 calories per 12 us fl oz 355 ml serving 750 kj l . until recently no other beer on the market had less food energy although beck s premier light also has 64 calories per 12 us fl oz serving . in the late summer of 2009 budweiser launched budweiser select 55 in response to miller s popular mgd 64 . miller launched this beer in the summer of 2007 in madison wisconsin . it was received favorably and testing expanded to arizona san diego and sacramento . 8 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 4.6 % abv . 6 the prevailing slogan on current packaging is the champagne of beers an adaptation of its long standing slogan the champagne of bottle 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 . today they are popular in 7 u.s. fl oz 207 ml ; 7 imp fl oz pony bottles introduced in 1972 . 9 10 except for a brief period in the 1990s citation needed 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 a modestly dressed young lady that by legend is company founder frederick miller s granddaughter . the girl in the moon logo was originally painted in the early 1900s by an unknown artist and has since been re painted by nebraskan artist mike hagel who added his own unique touch to it . 11 high life beat out 17 other contestants to take home the gold medal in american style lagers category at the 2002 world beer cup . high life has enjoyed a resurgence recently using its humorous take back the high life campaign which features a common sense wielding deliveryman portrayed by windell middlebrooks removing beer from non high life locations such as restaurants serving 11.50 hamburgers to position the brand as a good honest beer at a tasty price . miller high life light introduced in 1994 . it has 4.1 % abv . 6 miller chill a chelada style 4.2 % abv 6 pale lager brewed with lime and salt . introduced successfully in 2007 sales dropped in 2008 after the launch of the rival bud light lime . 12 in response millercoors revamped their recipe from a chelada style brew to a light beer with lime created new packaging which included switching from a green to a clear bottle and launched a new advertising campaign centered around the slogan how a light beer with a taste of lime should taste . miller fortune a recent addition to the lineup . 6.9 % abv fortune is a golden lager brewed in part with cascade hops to give it a citrusy bite and caramel malt to impart an amber hue . targeted to males aged 21 to 27 according to the brewery the flavor is moderately bitter with hints of sweetness resting somewhere between a full flavored craft beer and a light lager . the brewery further claims that fortune has a malty complex flavor hinting at bourbon the amber brew will be distributed wider and faster than any beer millercoors has introduced since the molson coors brewing tap and sabmiller sab ln venture was formed in 2008 . miller midnight according to the brewery this beer combines dark roasted and light crystal malts with caramel flavor . getting this balance right was an important part of the two year development process led by ronda dannenberg and jackie lauman specialists at miller s flagship brewery in milwaukee . color aroma taste and finish were all carefully considered . it is available in 330 ml and 500 ml bottles . released in november 2008 this beer is available only in russia . it has 5.2 % abv . citation needed sharp s miller s non alcoholic beer . frederick miller classic chocolate lager a beer for the holiday season released october through december in wisconsin chicago minneapolis cleveland indianapolis and northwest indiana . it is brewed with six different malts including chocolate and dark chocolate malts . 13 mickey s mickey s is miller s fine malt liquor . it is 5.6 % abv . 6 olde english 800 malt liquor also known as oe . it is 5.9 % abv in the eastern united states 7.5 % abv in most western u.s. states and 8.0 % abv in canada . milwaukee s best miller s economy label . it is 4.3 % abv and commonly referred to as the beast milwaukee s beast milwaukee s worst or milly b 6 milwaukee s best light miller s light economy label . also it was the main sponsor of the 2008 world series of poker . it is 4.1 % abv . and commonly referred to as beast light 6 milwaukee s best ice miller s economy ice beer . it is 5.9 % abv . and commonly referred to as beast ice or the yeti . 6 retired brands edit miller lite ice a limited distribution ice beer with naturally higher abv content 5.5 % . in this form it is now only found in select markets in michigan . miller gold a limited edition version of miller genuine draft containing 5.7 % abv . miller 1855 celebration lager the 1855 celebration lager was released in november 2005 to recognize the 150th anniversary of miller brewing . it was only available for a limited time . miller a short lived recipe from 1996 to 1998 sold in a predominantly red can hence aka miller red . southpaw light southpaw is labeled as a light beer but has the alcohol content of a regular beer . it has a strong hops flavor compared with other light pilsner style beers . it also has unique labeling and marketing . southpaw light has been discontinued by miller brewing company as of march 2013 due to lack of consumer demand . 14 hamm s beers edit the miller brewery complex in milwaukee wi miller bought the rights to the hamm s brewery brands . hamm s beer winner of the 2007 gold medal for american style lager and the 2010 gold medal for american style specialty lager or cream ale or lager at the great american beer festival hamm s golden draft hamm s special light plank road brewery beers edit this division is named for the 19th century name for west state street in milwaukee formerly known for its full length outside of milwaukee as the watertown plank road where the main miller brewery has been located since its