#budlightnext

[sigchipsi-blog]

Memorial Day Feast. #hotdogs #hamburgers #pretzelbun #potatosalad #bakedbeans #chicagodogs @budlight #budlightnext @budlightnext (at Douglasville, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeKGRsEux_P/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[darrylmcdonald]

We were going in for a visit, and Bud twisted my arm with a new beer for $1. It’s called Bud Light NEXT 0 carbs, 80 Val’s, 4% alc. Super Crisp Light Beer. Taste test-taste like a Bud Light. #budlightnext #budlightnextime #fetch #fetchpark #fetchparkbuckhead (at Fetch Park Buckhead) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcyyvCHrh5V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[modestjones]

@budlight #BudLightNext #Putters #LasVegas #MarchMadness @nevbeverage 🍻 @anheuserbusch (at Putter’s Bar & Grill Pecos) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbREXvdpCxP/?utm_medium=tumblr

[criminale]

Look, it's the newest flavor of Spindrift. #BudLightNext https://www.instagram.com/p/Can59OqNpp3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[atlbrafal]

What’s Next? Find out Super Bowl Sunday! #budlightnext @theroostaz (at The Roost Sports Bar & Cafe) https://www.instagram.com/p/CY7tDiPvQjs/?utm_medium=tumblr

[nickgerlich]

What’s Next

Americans like to talk about beer as if we somehow mastered how to brew it. It’s the rest of the world that has been lagging behind. In some regards, and specifically with reference to the last couple of decades of adventurous craft brewing, that assertion might just be right.

But we can thank the Germans for laying down the law long ago that dictated and regulated the ingredients that can go into beer. No coffee notes, citrus finishes, haze, or any of that hi-brow stuff.

The Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Law, was passed in Bavaria back in 1516. It stipulated that beer could only be brewed with barley malt, hops, and water. It was not until the late-19th century that yeast was recognized as a valid ingredient, as it helped turn those sugars into alcohol.

And now, just in time for Super Bowl 56, ABInBev is introducing yet another new product in its race to the bottom of all that is good: Bud Light Next, a carb-free beer with only 80 calories.

OK, I’ll say it. Removing the carbs from beer is like removing the caffeine from coffee. What’s the point?

In keeping with mass-produced “standards” in the US, Bud Light Next is brewed with a blend of barley and rice. Many years ago American brewers started using rice and corn in their brews, because they’re cheaper and more abundant. Meanwhile, that was about the time that Germans gave up on American beer. Kind of like how the British gave up on us too, but for different reasons.

The new product is just one of dozens to hit shelves in the last couple of years, as both hard seltzers and extremely low-cal beers have been introduced to appeal to calorie-conscious consumers. The marketer in me gives an A+ for latching on to a trend, a consumer want that did not exist outside of the light beers that were born in the 60s, and became all the rage a decade later. These are seriously low-cal products, but at the expense of flavor, body, and substance.

That said, I suspect this will be a hit, and what better time to do a major launch, especially since ABInBev has the beer exclusive on Super Bowl advertising. In case you’re keeping score, 30 seconds of prime time will cost as much as $6.5 million, and NBCUniversal only had five spots left in inventory at Christmas. The price is a cool $1 million more than last year’s ads.

Given that ABInBev spent $200 million to upgrade its suburban Atlanta brewery just to make the new product, it’s pretty clear they are confident this is going to be a big hit. That’s a lot of 12-packs, to be sure, but we also know that this new product won’t go wanting for shelf space, end caps, and freestanding displays.

Don’t believe me? Go shopping on February 7th, the day of its national release. You can bet your bottom beer can that shopkeepers and beer truck drivers alike will be working overtime to make it so we have to trip over it. It’s already out in limited locations, and if you want to get in on the buzz (not from the beer, mind you), just search under #BudLightNext. The brewer is loving how its consumers are doing all the heavy lifting here.

I’ll stick with my craft beer, thank you very little. I like to taste my beer, and if in the process I consume some extra calories, I’ll just ride extra miles. You can atone for one craft beer with only three miles of cycling, 1.5 miles of walking, or one mile of running. You’re welcome.

And while I am necessarily willing to violate Reinheitsgebot by allowing some trendy ingredients into my beer, I think of craft brewing as the New Testament and not the Old. Just don’t use rice or corn, and we’ll call it good. Sin is sin, you know.

Whatever you’re drinking, though, bottoms up! Be responsible, drive safely, enjoy the game, and embrace all that marketing around you.

Dr “Make Mine An IPA“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[modestjones]

#Budlight NEXT is the perfect beer for moving into this next season ☀️ @budlight #budlightnext @nevbeverage @anheuserbusch 🍻 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8mR_LrNgW/?utm_medium=tumblr

[modestjones]

#Next Up @quantumshiftz @beautifuldisaster77 @horsetrailerhideout @budlight 💯#BudLightNext #BattleBornSportz #LasVegas #HorseTrailerHideout #Vegas (at Horse Trailer Hideout) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca3ukEZrwOU/?utm_medium=tumblr