And in this corner…Anheuser-Busch launches Select 55 to go against MGD 64
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Anheuser-Busch officially launched Select 55 - billed as “the world’s lightest beer” - today in select test markets. The beer, made right here in little ol’ St. Louis, will be available in 15 cities at first. (That list includes Chicago and Des Moines but alas, not St. Louis. Seriously, guys?)
Select 55 is positioned to go head-to-head against MGD 64 from Chicago-based MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch’s toughest competitor in the U.S. Tom Long, president of MillerCoors, said last month that Anheuser-Busch has pursued a “copycat” strategy for three decades and vowing that “we know we will win.”
The two companies scuffle up and down the beer aisle. Bud Light goes against both Miller Lite and Coors Light. MillerCoors‘ Blue Moon matches up with Anheuser-Busch’s Shock Top. And then there are Bud Light Lime and Miller Chill. And now, the fun continues in the low-calorie segment.
Select 55 has 55 calories and 1.9 grams of carbs per each 12-ounce serving. Anheuser-Busch said its new brew “answers a growing demand among a segment of adult drinkers who are seeking lower-calorie alcohol beverages to complement their busy lifestyles.”
It’s ideal for adults “who want to enjoy beer without feeling guilty about the calories,” Pat McGauley, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of innovation, said in a press release.
(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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Jeremiah McWilliams is a native Virginian who came to the Post-Dispatch in early 2007 to cover beer and other consumer products. He previously covered manufacturing for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. 
I’d really like to know just how big the market is for people that drink beer, yet demand that it be 55 calories for a 12 oz serving. This should be called “Extremely Anal Retentive Light”. Come on people, live a little!
Speaking of “copy cat strategy”, let’s talk about Miller reformating Chill to “TRY” to taste more like Bud Light Lime. Bud Light Lime has totally left “chill” in the rear view mirror since it’s rollout. I work in the industry and see the numbers on a monthly basis. Miller, Coors,
MillerCoors, whoever you are! You’ll never be more than second, third or secondthird, WHATEVER!
Just tried it. Taste like Select Light(good). Marketing at its best. Just dilute Select and sell it as Select 55. But hey, if there is market for this kind of beer… why not give the people what they want?
“Growing demand”? Yes, for shelf space in the beer aisle. This is about real estate, nothing more.
So, adding water to Bud Select is “innovative?” The brewers at AB probably cringe every time marketing comes to them with this BS. And MillerCoors must get a real kick out of AB producing all of these me-too products.
It’s ideal for adults “who want to enjoy beer…. NO NO NO. It’s the exact opposite of ideal for adults who want to enjoy beer. There’s no flavor to enjoy here. This is akin to ‘enjoying’ a rice cake. I see this possibly being popular among dimwitted shallow chicks and metrosexual freaks.
Wow, this is really a race to the bottom. Anheuser-Busch is really getting pathetic. Budweiser is already an awful, watered-down, flavorless excuse for a beer as it is, then they water it down even further to make this crap? Wow, I can’t believe anyone will actually drink this except maybe as a joke. It’s not beer. This stuff is also only 2.4% alcohol, so you might as well just drink O’Doul’s. How about trying a real beer, like the stuff made by Dogfish Head, Stone, Bell’s, etc?
I’ll have iced-tea long before I’d order any 64/55 calorie beer.
This really makes me want a Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout.
I suppose this would be a good choice if you were running a marathon, or cycling across the Mojave Desert. To enjoy as a beer, I seriously doubt. If your that concerned with health there is a very low cal beverage available with no carbs, it’s called WATER!