Nosh Or Nah: Sweet Beans Are Made Of This

Welcome back to Nosh or Nah, a column where The Takeout staff reviews the best, worst, and weirdest new snacks and drinks hitting store shelves near you.

Have you ever wanted to eat beans for dessert? We're not talking red bean paste here, but actual baked beans from a can. If that's you, then Bush's has the product for you: Apple Pie beans. This time in Nosh or Nah, Michael Palan reviews those sweet legumes, as well as a pickle-flavored version (it seems like a new pickle product comes out every week). In addition he sees if non-cinnamon-flavored Hot Tamales are worth your time and taste-tests the ominous-sounding Miller Lite Pringles.

Will brands ever stop trying to make foods that taste like other foods they have no business tasting like? We hope not, because then we'd have to stop doing this column. Even more importantly these unholy mashups are often, somehow, tasty — sometimes even shockingly so. Is that true for any of this round of products? Read on to find out.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

It's been a while since I've reached for a box of Hot Tamales, but in general, I'm usually a fan of any flavor that hails from the Mike and Ike family candy tree. The new Tropical Heat version of Hot Tamales come in three flavors: Fiery Lime, Mango Chili, and Pineapple Picante. Pouring them out of my box and into my hands, the colors of the actual candy don't line up with their images on the box. There's nothing fully green, but there is a yellow one with green freckles. The one that looks like a carrot is mango, and the light orange one, by process of elimination, is the pineapple flavor.

Each of these Hot Tamale Tropical Heat candies totally tastes like its promised flavor, and in a really vibrant way too. As for the heat, it has enough to add just the right amount of pep. The more you eat in a sitting, the more the temperature rises, even getting to the point of breaking a minor sweat. The pineapple one has the best overall fruity flavor, and the mango flavor feels particularly juicy. However, if you're looking for the one flavor that truly captures the essence of its name, the Fiery Lime delivers. These are a delightful addition to the Hot Tamales line, and are worthy of a nosh. You can find these at stores like Dollar Tree, where a 4.25-ounce box goes for $1.25.

In 2025, Pringles collaborated with Miller Lite and dared snackers to try Beer Can Chicken, Grilled Beer Brat, and Beer-Braised Steak-flavor chips. In 2026, the latter flavor is returning, now with a new partner: Beer Cheese Burger. Both flavors are hitting shelves this June. 

The Beer-Braised Steak chips don't seem so odd visually or aromatically. Taste-wise, they aren't really as off-putting as I might have feared. Thankfully they don't have a strong sense of beefiness nor beer flavoring to them. Instead, it's more of steak seasoning blend leading the way, with a buttery, onion-garlic combo working subtle magic with each bite. I can see why these are worthy of an encore, and they get my nosh seal of approval.

Compared to their older brother, the Beer Cheese Burger Pringles have a little bit more pizzazz to them, with a perky orange coating and a really cheesy smell. This is a super-cheddary Pringle that is very reminiscent of Lay's Cheddar and Sour Cream chips. Again, thankfully, no traces of beefiness or suds are detectable. If you somehow have a can of Campbell's Chunky x PBR Beer Cheese Soup still lying around, these chips would make the perfect compliment to a bowl of it. Another nosh!

Bush's is unleashing a limited-time run of odd flavors: Apple Pie and Dill Pickle. These 28-ounce cans will be available on Bush's online store May 20. Bush's Apple Pie and Dill Pickle Baked Beans will also roll out to Walmart stores nationwide at $2.47 a can while supplies last. 

Bush's Apple Pie beans emanate a rich, sweet cinnamon aroma as they heat up, and from the next room, it smells like someone is baking an apple dessert. If you can accept beans existing as something other than savory, you will actually be in for a treat with these Apple Pie beans. However, don't rush to pour them all over your hot dog. Instead, think of these as dessert beans, and a conversation starter — these are a nosh, and the perfect way to put a fun capper on a summer gathering with friends.

The Dill Pickle beans have a pleasant vinegary smell, but flavor-wise, these beans are for dill pickle obsessives only. The concoction looks like split pea soup, which isn't the most appetizing presentation, and the flavor is too sharp for me to fully enjoy. The vinegar is ever-present to a repellent degree. Perhaps we should all hold out for Grillo's take on beans — its PBR pickle beer collaboration was pretty good. In the meantime, these pickled Bush's Beans are a nah.