Well, I figured I should try the other 'Latinized' beer on the market, the one in national distribution: Miller Chill. Chill is doing very well, blew through trial runs and went national with a promotional budget that should be in the $50 million range according to what I was told. So when I stopped for ice in Portland last month and saw a bottle in the cooler, I figured I should try one.
You'll notice it's been a month, and I haven't done that until now.
I've been putting it off, and the only reason I drank it tonight is because I'm doing a piece on these beers and had to talk about it. I mean, a light beer with lime and salt? Yeah, well, I was right. It's not even a crisp, sharp lime flavor, and I didn't really taste any salt at all. It tasted like light beer with a small dose of 7-Up. I tried eating a pretzel with it, but it didn't help much. If you're looking for something really different, this isn't it. It's kinda different, but mostly it's not my kind of beer. It's someone else's beer.
Not to monopolize your blog comments tonight, Lew, But you keep writing about things that make me retch :)I had Miller Chill on my mind a few weeks ago. It sounded disturbingly disgusting. I slammed it on the Beercraft Blog.
ReplyDeleteA few days later, I had the dubious distinction of trying it. There wasn't any beer flavor; it made me wonder if Miller was using a neutral malt base.
There was also very little lime flavor, just a sickly sweetness the ege of which was neutralized by the extreme fizzitude of the beverage.
I don't think Corona has much to worry about. This Miller Chill experiment, like so many previous attempts at niche marketing by the majors, will disappear within the year. I'd put money on it.
I'd agree with almost everything you say, except... there's not much 'beer flavor' in most light beers, which is why I can drink Heineken Premium Light: it really does taste like lighter Heineken instead of beery water. And I'm afraid I don't agree that it's going to be gone within a year. People seem to be digging it. I don't get it, but I see it happening. Of course, people drank the hell out of Mich Ultra for a while, too. Maybe. See you this time next year and we'll settle it. Over a beer.
ReplyDeleteI tried and reviewed this about six weeks ago for the first (and only time) and found it to be as authentic of a Mexican product as the last helping I had of Nachos del Grande at Taco Bell three years ago. I will say this, thinking about what Miller Chill is marketed to be makes me want to make a batch of margaritas at home.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, Lew - Chill may be here to stay, but it won't be making any appearances anywhere near my beer fridge. I reviewed it a while back as well -
ReplyDeletehttp://beerphilosopher.blogspot.com/2007/06/taking-one-for-team.html
Needless to say, I was something less than impressed.
Terrificly interesting blog you have here, by the way!
Oh my god, I just had the WORST crap on the planet...Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus.
ReplyDeleteIts awful, Mich Ultra was bad enough but now to add these flavors..ewg!