There’s nothing better after a long week than kicking off my boots and cracking open a can of… Pringles potato crisps. Maybe even two, I ain’t drivin’.
I’m a big Pringles guy. Not THE Pringles guy – that’s Julius Pringle, everyone’s favorite mustachioed egg – but I do love me some Pringles. I’m also a beer guy, so when I heard Pringles and Miller Lite were reteaming for some new flavors, I knew I had to pop.
Coming off the collaborative launch of Beer-Braised Steak, Beer Can Chicken, and Grilled Beer Brat last summer, the two iconic brands are back with Beer Cheese Burger and Beer-Battered Onion Rings.
I won’t lie. I don’t remember loving the drop last year. They were some of the few Pringles that didn’t do it for me. With that said, this year’s flavors seemed much more intriguing.
So, did Julius Pringle turn these Miller Lites into Killer Bites?
No, he’s a fictional disembodied head. He didn’t do anything. Pringles and Miller did, however, make some decent crisps.
I’ll start with the weirder, less successful of the two – Beer Cheese Burger.
They smelled like a McDonald’s cheeseburger, but ended up tasting a lot worse than even that. It was like a “fake” hamburger on a stale bun. I kept thinking of when Lunchables tried to add burgers to its line of “edible” snack boxes. It’s just an odd beefy flavor with a little ketchup and the “breadiness” that I assume comes from the pilsner of it all. The cheese doesn’t really pop like I assumed it would, but it still has a “lite” essence of standard Cheddar Pringles. I honestly didn’t even like them, yet I popped, and I couldn’t stop. They got me. I found them addictive. It was a very similar experience to actual Miller Lites. “A fine Pilsner.”
Pretty mid, but “what do you expect from a beer that tastes like water?!” – the most obnoxious guy at the BBQ.
Now, as for the Beer-Battered Onion Rings? These were good, almost great.
They smelled awesome, like authentically fried onion rings.
They somehow managed to capture the fried taste as well, which I found impressive. They really evoke crispy onion ring batter. I swear the crisps themselves even seemed lighter and crispier, but they’re absolute onion bombs. There is a ton of onion powder happening here. It may be overwhelming to some. Luckily, I wasn’t smooching on anyone after eating these, or at any point really. *stares longingly into the distance.*
Oh, what the hell, even the obnoxious guy is smooching on someone!
The beer isn’t as prominent here. They have that lingering stale breadiness, so that’s where the Miller peaks through. It’s a really nice, unique taste – not quite sour cream and onion, not quite onion and garlic, not quite Funyuns. They’re their own flavor.
I also picked up the Beer-Braised Steak flavor, and they’re just as mid as I remember. They’re the most bitter of the three and have a “bloody meat” taste. Skip ‘em.
Despite varying levels of success, these three made for a fun flight of beer Pringles. I ate too many and got a little Chipfaced… pardon me for being uncouth, Crispfaced.
They all stay with ya. Definitely not the most pleasant of aftertastes. They actually made me want a beer, but I’ve been trying to cut back. It’s gonna be a while before I have an I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) and I.P.A. (Ingest Pringles Again).
Purchased Price: $2.27 each
Size: 5.5 oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Beer-Battered Onion Ring), 5 out of 10 (Beer Cheese Burger)
Nutrition Facts: (14 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 230 milligrams of sodium (Burger has 220), 17 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.