MLE — Miller-Lite-Equivalents
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What is MLE?
Miller Lite is about as plain a beer as exists — 4.2% ABV, sold in a 12oz can, usually around a dollar. We use it as a yardstick: 1 MLE is the amount of pure alcohol in one 12oz Miller Lite. Any beer's MLE tells you how many Miller-Lites-worth of alcohol it contains, once you account for its own ABV and serving size. Divide by price and you get MLE/$ — how much alcohol you're actually getting for your money.
Why not just compare ABV%? Because ABV alone ignores serving size and price. A strong beer in a small, expensive pour can be a worse deal than a milder beer in a full pint for less — MLE/$ accounts for all three at once instead of just one.
MLE = (ABV / 100 × ounces) / (4.2 / 100 × 12) MLE per $ = MLE / price
A few examples
| Beer | ABV | Serving | Price | MLE | MLE/$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Lite the yardstick |
4.2% | 12oz | $4.00 | 1.00 | 0.25 |
| Local IPA pint |
7% | 16oz | $7.00 | 2.22 | 0.32 |
| Imperial Stout snifter pour |
9.5% | 10oz | $9.00 | 1.88 | 0.21 |
| Light Domestic Draft pint |
4.5% | 16oz | $3.00 | 1.43 | 0.48 |
Notice the imperial stout has the highest ABV on the list but the worst MLE/$ — a small, pricey pour eats up its advantage. The plain domestic draft, cheap and full-pour, actually wins on value even though it's the weakest beer here. That's the whole point: MLE/$ ranks what you're actually getting for your money, not just what's printed on the tap handle.
Venues you've looked up
- Test Venue — Test, Alabama · updated 8/7/2026
- Tony — Huntsville, AL · updated 8/7/2026