Miller Chill, a light beer with lime and salt flavoring meant to appeal to a Hispanic audience, is set to enter a sampling period next month.,”

The frigid winter weather may bring a chill to Milwaukeeans, but Miller won't be bringing its chill here for testing.

Miller Chill, a light beer with lime and salt flavoring meant to appeal to a Hispanic audience, is set to enter a sampling period next month. Borrowing from a Mexican beer called chelada, Miller is calling it "an American take on a Mexican classic" and plans to employ a marketing campaign asking, "Se habla Chill?"

Testing of Miller Chill will begin mid-March in Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Texas and Southern California. Milwaukee, Miller's hometown, will not be a testing site because of its cold weather, said Miller spokesman Pete Marino.

"Miller Chill will be marketed as a refreshing drink, so it must be tested in places where the timing of the testing matches up with the weather," Marino said.

The beer, based on the classic Miller recipe, will be marketed to an audience of men and women 21 to 27 years old.

Marino said the sampling period of Miller Chill will be "an opportunity to appeal to consumers who are Miller fans, and those who may not be regularly purchasing Miller, to get them into the Miller portfolio."

So what does it taste like, anyway?

"The flavoring adds a unique taste, not overpowering, but subtle, which I find appealing on the palette," Marino said.

Miller will decide after the testing period whether or not to to put Miller Chill on sale to the general public. Marino said he is optimistic the new beer will be popular during sampling.

"We Americans really love margaritas, which are lime-based and use salt," said Stephen Byers, adjunct instructor of journalism, who wrote the nationally syndicated column "Beer City." "I would suspect this is a beer for non-beer-drinkers, for margarita fans."

Byers said Miller is experimenting with Miller Chill to create a new market.

"They don't want the faithful Miller consumer," Byers said.

Miller is seeking new customers and wants to avoid "cannibalizing a product," according to Byers. He used the example of a Miller Lite drinker switching to Miller Chill. Miller would gain no new profits from this "cannibalizing" switch, and Byers said Miller Chill is an effort to rope in new buyers.

Some students are impressed with Miller's appeal to a Hispanic audience.

"This new product is out is out of the ordinary," said Maria Pantoja, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. "I think Miller Chill would interest Hispanics overall, because most Hispanics like to have a cool bottle of Corona with salt and lime."

While Miller has tapped into a taste preference for citrus and salt, Pantoja said consumers might be suspicious.

"Many Hispanics wouldn't like the artificial stuff," Pantoja said. "Maybe they won't like Miller Chill because it is not natural."

Will a lime green glass bottle and a Spanish tagline be enough to attract a new, specialized audience?

"I would really ignore (Miller Chill)," said Jhovanny Ramirez, a College of Arts & Sciences sophomore. "I cannot see Miller comparing to another imported beer. Miller already has a different taste, and just adding salt and lime wouldn't equal any imported beer."

Christina Rivera, president of Latin American Students Organization and a junior in the College of Nursing, said she would avoid Miller Chill for health reasons.

"Hispanics have a high risk of hypertensions; so do African Americans," she said. "From a nursing standpoint, I would stay away from the added salt."

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