Miller brewing up Mexican-style beer

Miller Brewing Co. will put a new beer, Miller Chill, in test markets next month in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida and the San Diego, CA, area.

The 110-calorie brew will be marketed as an upscale light beer, cheaper than most imports but costlier than most domestic beers. It is a chelada-style beer, infused with salt and lime.

Although the advertising campaign will have a tagline of "Se habla Chill," Miller insists its target audience is not just Hispanics despite the concentration of Hispanic people in the test markets.

Pete Marino, a Miller spokesman, said in a statement, "We're trying to court the market in general, not just Hispanics. ... We are going after mainstream domestic brands. This will be a more refreshing light beer experience. It's a very different type of product."

Last month, it began importing Aguila, Colombia's top-selling lager which is brewed by parent company SABMiller Inc. The company is also importing two SABMiller beers from Peru -- Cristal and Cusqueña.

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