Surly Merica! 4Pk

Surly Merica! 4Pk is a pre-Prohibition style American lager from Surly Brewing Co. at 5% ABV, sold in a four-pack. Brewed with flaked corn as a deliberate flavor ingredient rather than a cost-cutting adjunct, this lager revives a distinctly American tradition that largely vanished after Prohibition, earning an 82 on BeerAdvocate across more than 200 ratings.

Quick Facts: ABV: 5%  |  Origin: Brooklyn Center, Minnesota  |  Style: Pre-Prohibition American Lager  |  Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.

Production & Heritage

Surly Brewing Co., founded in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has built a reputation for bold, uncompromising beers. Merica! takes a different tack — it's a careful reconstruction of the American lager style that existed before Prohibition reshaped the country's brewing landscape. The grist is built on North American pilsner malt from Country Malt Group and flaked corn, hopped exclusively with American-grown Warrior and Willamette varieties. Unlike modern macro lagers that use corn or rice primarily to lighten body and reduce cost, Merica! treats corn as a core flavor component, lending a subtle starchy sweetness and fuller mouthfeel that defines the pre-Prohibition tradition.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Earthy grains and hay open the nose, followed by biscuit malt and a gentle sweetness. Soft hop aromatics contribute mild fruity and herbal notes from the Willamette and Warrior additions.

Taste: A slightly sweet entry gives way to fresh corn flavor at the mid-palate, building noticeable body for a lager. Pale malt and corn work in balance with light-to-moderate earthy hop bitterness, creating a robust but approachable profile that finishes dry with a subtle bitter edge.

Finish: Clean and crisp, the finish dries out quickly with lingering grain and a restrained hop snap. The overall impression is smooth and refreshing without thinning out into blandness.

How to Drink Merica!

Best served cold — around 38–42°F — in a standard pint glass or pilsner flute to let the light golden color and foamy head present themselves fully. At 5% ABV, this is a sessionable lager built for straightforward drinking. It pairs naturally with a Michelada, where its corn-forward sweetness balances tomato juice and hot sauce; a Shandy, mixed with fresh lemonade for a low-ABV warm-weather drink; or a simple Boilermaker alongside a shot of American bourbon, playing corn off corn.

Best For

• Backyard cookouts and Fourth of July gatherings
• Introducing craft beer drinkers to historic American lager styles
• Pairing with grilled food at a summer tailgate
• Stocking a cooler for a long afternoon on the lake

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Merica! taste like? Merica! delivers a slightly sweet, corn-forward lager profile balanced by earthy hop bitterness and biscuit malt. It finishes dry, crisp, and clean with more body and flavor than a typical American light lager.

How does Merica! compare to Michelob Original Lager? Both are adjunct lagers with more character than standard light beers, and reviewers have drawn a direct comparison between the two. Merica! leans more heavily into its corn component as a deliberate flavor choice and uses exclusively American-grown hops, giving it a slightly earthier, more robust character than Michelob's smoother, more neutral profile.

Is Merica! good for craft beer beginners? Absolutely — at 5% ABV with a familiar lager profile, it's highly approachable for anyone comfortable with mainstream American beer while offering noticeably more depth and flavor complexity.

Where is Merica! made? Merica! is brewed by Surly Brewing Co. at their facility in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis metropolitan area. Surly is one of Minnesota's most recognized independent craft breweries.

What foods pair well with Merica!? Grilled burgers and hot dogs match the corn sweetness and clean finish naturally. Fried chicken benefits from the beer's dry, crisp carbonation cutting through the fat. Elote (Mexican street corn) echoes the corn notes in the beer itself. Sharp cheddar cheese contrasts the lager's malt sweetness, and classic potato salad rounds out the all-American pairing.

What sizes does Merica! come in? Merica! is available as a four-pack of cans, which is the standard retail format for this expression.

Is Merica! worth the price? Merica! positions as a craft lager at a very accessible price point — well below most specialty ales from Surly's lineup. For drinkers who want more character than macro lagers provide without venturing into hop-heavy or high-ABV territory, it represents strong value.

Why Merica!?

Pre-Prohibition American lager is one of the few beer styles truly born in the United States, and very few craft breweries commit to brewing one authentically. Surly's use of flaked corn as a genuine flavor additive — not a cheap shortcut — is the key distinction here, producing a lager with real body and a starchy sweetness that modern adjunct lagers have largely abandoned. With a balanced hop profile from all-American Warrior and Willamette varieties and a clean 5% ABV, Merica! functions as both a history lesson and a genuinely easy-drinking beer. It fills a gap in most craft lineups: a full-flavored lager that doesn't need to apologize for being simple.