Miller High Life X Phillip Ashley Bar Snack Truffles Review: Good Concept, Mixed Execution
Chocolate and alcohol are known to make great companions. For a simple dessert, a nub (or perhaps several nubs) of chocolate serves as an excellent pairing with fortified wines like sauternes and sherry, or harder liquors like brandy, whiskey, or cognac. It's not uncommon to come across chocolate cordials filled with fruity liqueurs infused with cherry, black currant, or triple sec. We've even had truffles infused with Dom Perignon champagne. That's all to say that swanky booze and quality cocoa go hand in hand — and it doesn't hurt when there are added syrups and nougats to provide extra delicious layers of flavor.
But, is it even possible that a mass market-produced beer could climb up to the elevated, rarefied air of gourmet chocolate? Chocolatier Philip Ashley Rix looked toward his beer of choice — Miller High Life, also known as the Champagne of Beers — to answer that question. In a partnership with the brand to celebrate National Truffle Day on May 2, Rix created the limited-edition Miller High Life Bar Snack Truffles, an assortment of bar snack-inspired chocolates. With flavor profiles drawn from the likes of grilled cheese sandwiches and beer nuts, this is one mash-up that required a taste test. Here's what we thought.
What are Miller High Life Bar Snack Truffles and where can you buy them?
Phillip Ashley's bar snack truffles come in six assorted flavors: Pretzel Praline, Beernut, Sweet Potato Fry, Buttery Popcorn, Grilled Cheese, and Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing. The one-of-a-kind chocolate truffles replicate the savory and hoppy beer and snack experience you get at a bar but with the addition of a sweet twist. Despite the association with beer, don't expect to find alcoholic content within these desserts, though. The inspiration for these six whimsical chocolates was not so much about Miller High Life itself, but what food is best enjoyed alongside the brew.
They come in an attractive package with a shimmering golden Miller High Life logo on top of the box and a shiny silver Phillip Ashley signature on the side. There's a black paper foil to protect the chocolates, but once you peel it back, you get a multi-colored spectacle of truffles.
In terms of size, these chocolate truffles fall into the category of bite-sized. They're about the length, width, and height of a quarter. But, despite their compact nature, most of them were packed with a ton of flavor. We would deem them small, but mighty.
This half-dozen pack comes at a cost of $35 plus shipping. The truffles are available for a limited time on Phillip Ashley's website.
Buttery Popcorn
The Buttery Popcorn flavor from Phillip Ashley's Miller High Life Bar Snacks Truffles had to be our least favorite flavor. This might come down to a matter of personal preference; some people love white chocolate while others say it's overly cloying and one-note without much depth of flavor. Our verdict was that the Buttery Popcorn flavor gave credo to the crowd's argument.
There is definitely a faint hint of butter in this truffle, but not enough to make it anything more than a very good white chocolate truffle with a fancy yellow coat. And, given that the ganache's white chocolate base is already so heavy with dairy notes, dropping in the butter flavor felt a bit like a hat on a hat.
While we loved the vibrant yellow on the coat, there just wasn't enough contrast in flavors and we thought it could have used a touch more salt to achieve that movie theater-style popcorn flavor.
Sweet Potato Fry
We would love to saddle up to any bar that serves sweet potato fries and would gladly give that spot a glowing review. Because more often than not, the only spuds you'll find at the bar are the regular, bland variety served with too much salt and a stale bottle of ketchup.
We love that Phillip Ashley embraced the cozy, warming flavors of sweet potato fries. When you take a bite, you're immediately hit with autumnal fragrances — maple syrup came to mind instantaneously. It also evoked memories of Thanksgiving dinners with mashed yam casserole topped with marshmallows. There are brown sugar notes that made us crave a bottle of dark rum.
The interior is a gorgeous chestnut brown with a lot of fudgy texture. There's a lot of sweetness here, though. Fair enough considering it's a chocolate truffle. But, we found that one or two other truffles in this lineup had a bit more complexity.
Grilled Cheese
The Grilled Cheese truffle tastes better than you might think. Without consulting the description of this particular truffle prior to eating it, the immediate question upon the first bite was, "Is there cheese in this?"
The cheese presence is quite pronounced. We detected notes that were more reminiscent of Parmesan rather than cheddar or American, which you would typically associate with a grilled cheese sandwich. The card that came with the packaging indicated that the ganache was made from a triple cream cheese, which in hindsight makes sense. The cheesy notes thoroughly coat the throat and give the truffle a salty kick. Beyond the chocolate coating, there is another sweet component within the creamy ganache, almost like corn when it's in peak season.
Sliced in half, the truffle even resembles the construction of a grilled cheese — it has a toasty, roasty coating, a layer of browned "cheese," and an ooey gooey "cheese" center in the middle. However, we found that the strong flavors didn't quite coalesce and were a bit too forward with the indulgence.
Pretzel Praline
The Pretzel Praline truffle from Phillip Ashley arrived in third place for us, and it was a close call. Visually, it was quite impressive with a beautiful glossy sheen and a fascinating contrasting pattern of deep purple and bright white. When cut in half, if you didn't know better you might expect it to taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But, no — this is pure praline.
In terms of the texture, there was a nice crunch from the dark chocolate. Taste-wise, it was very caramel-forward. It had a rather pleasing amount of salt that reflected the pretzel component of this truffle — in the finish to round out the bite. To us, those two elements sealed the deal — it definitely delivered on the promise of praline flavors although there wasn't a major presence of nuts. It came across like a sophisticated, chic Rolo with the added benefit of being less inclined to be overly chewy and stick to your teeth.
Beernut
If there was a beauty pageant for Phillip Ashley's Miller High Life Bar Snack truffles, the Beernut would take home the crown, the bouquet, and the sash. With its soft but striking coloring similar to that of a robin's egg, it immediately stood out from the rest of the pack and had us wondering what wonderful flavors it held inside. We're not entirely sure why blue was a choice for a beer nut flavor, but we'll go with it.
Once you cut open the crispy shell, it's a feast for the eyes if you're a fan of dark chocolate. Though it might appear to be thick and dense, the ganache is delightfully light and requires little to no effort to chew and let the flavors sink in and be savored. Between that airy filling and the crackly shell, there's an excellent textural contrast.
According to the description, this truffle contains roasted peanuts that were soaked in Miller High Life before being ground and added to the filling. In terms of how it tastes, it's reminiscent of a slab of fudge that you might get when you're on a seaside vacation in the peak of summer. Or maybe a walnut brownie from your grandma's recipe book. Bottom line, you get the richness, sweetness, nuttiness, and saltiness that you would hope for in a truffle that's inspired by a beer nut. Phillip Ashley nailed it here.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing
After trying all six of the Miller High Life chocolate truffles from Phillip Ashley, the Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing was far and away our favorite and thus earned the gold medal. And appropriately so, considering its metallic speckles on top.
There was a nice bite in the texture of the chocolate coating, and it had a smooth and slightly chewy ganache in the middle. It reminded us a lot of a Milky Way candy bar, which we consider a high compliment. At the same time, it was also somewhat reminiscent of a Terry's Chocolate Orange with its citrus notes. The tang from the presence of lemon came through, and the black pepper notes don't immediately surface, but rather arrive at the finish and linger on the palate.
We didn't detect the flavor of a chicken wing but would agree with the choice to steer clear of that particular component and focus instead on the seasonings. And, that's perhaps a reason why we gravitated towards the Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing truffle the most. With a slight hint of sour — just enough to make its presence known but not overwhelm the palate — and a touch of heat from the ground peppercorns, this flavor proved to be the most interesting offering.
Are Miller High Life Bar Snack Truffles worth a purchase?
For those who have tried every truffle out there, we would definitely not discourage you from purchasing this limited edition box of bar snack-inspired chocolates from Phillip Ashley and Miller High Life. They are certainly one of a kind. We only wish that there had been one or two more surprising flavor components in the collection to go one or two steps further with its unexpected foodie inspirations.
This collection of confections would certainly serve as a unique gift for the beer and chocolate lovers in your life — especially if there's no discernment when it comes to dark, milk, or white as the primary chocolate medium. This is also a worthy purchase for yourself as a personal treat. But make sure to buy it while you still can while the inventory is available. Either way, we hope to see this variety pack come back and perhaps have even more options with recipes inspired by our favorite familiar bar snack cravings.