See-Through Brew

It seems to be the rule of the day -- clearer is better. Manufacturers of all sorts of products are convinced that consumers equate transparent with natural and healthy. Result: products like clear dishwashing liquid and clear roll-on deodorant. Soft-drink titan Coca-Cola has invented a colorless version of its classic diet soda Tab, while rival Pepsico has struck back with "Crystal" equivalents of regular and Diet Pepsi, as sweet as ever but clear as water.

Perhaps the oddest example of the trend is the Miller Brewing Co.'s introduction of Miller Clear, a beer that goes through the usual brewing, fermenting and aging -- plus an ultrafiltration process that makes the beer as clear as the glass it's in. The hueless hops will debut in test markets later this month. Aside from its unorthodox appearance, a can of Miller Clear has as much alcohol as regular beer, but has 122 calories per 12-oz. serving, slightly fewer than in amber-hued cousins like Miller High Life. The theory: What you can't see can't hurt you.