Feb. 7, 2010, was a big day. Anheuser Busch launched its new light beer, Select 55. Oh, and the Saints won the Super Bowl. Who Dat.Anheuser Busch, which is owned by the Belgium company InBev and also owns Budweiser and other American beer brands, bought five minutes of commercial time during the Super Bowl to promote its new beer, Select 55, which it calls “The Lightest Beer in the World.”
Select 55 is, indeed, the lightest beer in the world if you’re referring to alcohol content.Select 55 has 2.4 percent alcohol and 55 calories per serving, according to Budweiser. Other light beers include MillerCoors’ Miller Genuine Draft “64,” which has 2.8 percent alcohol and 64 calories, and another Anheuser Busch light beer, Michelob Ultra, which has 4.1 percent alcohol and 95 calories.The normal amount of alcohol in one serving of light beer could be anywhere from 4 to 5 percent. Select 55 contains nearly half that amount. And it tastes like it, too. It tastes like a watered down version of Budweiser, or any Anheuser Busch product for that matter. There’s little flavor, but it is not very filling.So what’s the purpose of drinking light beer? If you’re drinking to get drunk, then Select 55 will do you no good. It will take twice as long to feel anything, and you will ultimately end up drinking the same amount of calories in the process. Just think about how much more you would have to use the bathroom! Save yourself time and money, and buy liquor.If you’re drinking socially, then Select 55 might be a good light alternative if you can stand the watery flavor. Otherwise, enjoy your time and what you’re drinking, and drink something you enjoy. Personally, I would keep it local and go straight for Abita, but that’s just me.If you’re drinking light beer because you are concerned about calories, then you shouldn’t be drinking beer anyway. But Michelob Ultra is a good light beer with more flavor and a considerably low calorie count if you’re being health conscious. Ideally, Select 55 would be great for beer pong because the flavor isn’t terrible, and it’s not heavy. Think about that the next time you want to grab that flat of Natty Light. But other than that, Select 55 serves no purpose for me. I don’t enjoy the watery flavor even after years of drinking Natty Light and Keystone.But you can’t blame Anheuser Busch for trying to get in on the light beer craze. If that’s what the people want, then that’s what you have to give them. Light beer was the fastest growing trend in 2008 and 2009 and will only continue to grow, according to Convenience Store Decisions website, which tracks sales trends and news at convenience stores nationwide.In order to keep up with the demand of the market place, most beer companies have created and largely branded their light beers, like Bud Light’s “Drinkability” campaign and Natural Light’s “Nattyisms” campaign. Select 55 and its “Lightest Beer in the World” campaign continues to promote the advantages of light beer, but when broken down, these advantages don’t seem to make that much difference.Simply put, the calorie and carbohydrate count is lower, but so is the alcohol content and usually the flavor.I don’t like eating something that doesn’t taste good, and I don’t enjoy drinking something that doesn’t have good flavor. Select 55 is light and watery with a slight flavor as an after taste. It’s not a flavor that I enjoy.You know what flavor I do enjoy? Victory. A Super Bowl victory, to be exact. Who Dat. –Contact Brittany Davis at [email protected]