Bud Light NEXT, beer with zero carbs, is here after a decade of change and innovation
Anheuser-Busch InBev has rolled it out just in time for Super Bowl LVI
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Anheuser-Busch InBev has a zero-carb beer after 10 years of research and development. The new member of the Bud Light family, Bud Light NEXT, has arrived on shelves just in time for Super Bowl LVI.
"This Super Bowl, we celebrate a historic moment in Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch’s history: the introduction of Bud Light NEXT, our first-ever zero carb beer," Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Andy Goeler said in a statement.
"Ten years in the making, Bud Light NEXT is a symbol of our continued commitment to innovation. Now, on advertising’s biggest stage, we’ll pay tribute to those who are pushing boundaries and redefining the world around us every day."
Bud Light NEXT, Anheuser-Busch InBev's latest creation, is a beer with zero carbs. (Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Bud Light) (AP Newsroom)
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUD | ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV | 54.68 | -0.51 | -0.92% |
The Super Bowl ad for Bud Light NEXT, set to debut at the big game on Feb. 13 and viewed by FOX Business, is titled "Zero in the Way of Possibility." It shows individuals leaving various situations like a party, a work cubicle, a date – and changing their scenery.
Bud Light NEXT (Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Bud Light) (Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Bud Light / AP Newsroom)
DALE EARNHARDT JR. LOST POST MALONE'S NUMBER AND TRIED TO SELL VODKA TO A STRANGER
But as carb-conscious beer-lovers rejoice, what folks really want to know is: How did Anheuser-Busch make a zero-carb beer that includes malt and rice?
"I'm obviously not going to tell you how we do it, because it took us 10 years, but it is a big deal," Goeler told USA Today, calling it "very, very, very challenging" given the ingredients.
Goeler did reveal, "It really was only up until recently that some brewing technology enabled us to do this."
Bud Light NEXT on Tuesday, Dec. 28,, 2022 in Van Nuys, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Bud Light) (Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Bud Light / AP Newsroom)
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The beverage titan's latest brew is described by the company as a "super crisp light beer" with 80 calories and 4% ALC/VOL, and it is now available everywhere in the U.S. where Bud Light is sold.
But how does it taste? A Bud Light spokesperson tells FOX Business that Bud Light NEXT is a "lager with the stats and sessionability of a seltzer, featuring notes of citrus." It's aimed at the carb-conscious who enjoy the taste of beer but are watching their carb intake, according to Goeler. Bud Light NEXT is made to offer that beer taste with the carb impact of low-carb hard seltzers that have become popular over the past few years.
Americans' ever-changing drinking habits have led the big breweries to embrace change in recent years. Microbrews and craft beers rose to popularity as alternatives to big beer, and the big guys responded with their own alternative brews and by buying up micros. White Claw led the hard seltzer craze, to the point that hard seltzers reached parity with craft brews in mid-2021. Big beer responded by launching its own hard seltzers.
Bud Light NEXT may be the next evolution in alcohol consumption: back to the traditional taste of beer, and forward into the zero-carb, workout-conscious lives of Gens Y and Z.