Bud Light is ready to release its next new beer: Bud Light Next.
What makes Bud Light Next special? A lack of carbs. The new beer has none. Zero.
Lower-carb and lower-calorie beers have been a hit as more folks try to watch their weight or shed some pounds by cutting carbs, some using the Keto diet.
Anheuser-Busch already has some of the most popular diet-conscious beers with Bud Light, which has 4.3% alcohol by volume or ABV, 110 calories and 6.6 grams, and Michelob Ultra (4.2%, 95 calories and 2.6 carbs).
And Budweiser has addressed consumers' embrace of seltzers with Bud Light Seltzer, which has 5% alcohol, 100 calories and 2 carbs.
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But the brewing behemoth has had a goal for a decade of a beer without carbs, said Bud Light's vice president of marketing Andy Goeler. "This is absolutely a historic moment for us as it's been a long, long process," he told USA TODAY. "It really was only up until recently, that some brewing technology enabled us to do this."
Bud Light Next is made with malt, rice and hops, "so making a beer and getting carbs out of a product with those ingredients, is very, very, very, very challenging," he said. "I'm obviously not going to tell you how we do it, because it took us 10 years, but it is a big deal."
Where Bud Light is lower in alcohol and calories than traditional Budweiser (5% ABV, 145 calories, 10 Carbs), Bud Light Next weighs in with 4% ABV, 80 calories and 0 carbs in a 12-ounce serving.
As for the taste, Goeler said, "the best way I would describe it is refreshing, super crisp with a slight hint of citrus note."
Bud Light Next arrives ahead of Super Bowl, plus NFT launch
Bud Light Next will be available in six-packs and 12-packs beginning Feb. 7, several days before the Super Bowl. And the beer will have its own commercial during the big game, the company said.
A day ahead of that, Bud Light Next will have its own NFT launch of 12,722 unique items, selling for $399 each. NFT is short for non-fungible token, data that verifies ownership of a digital item.
Each of the Bud Light Next tokens' artwork and design will reflect "the passion points of today’s 21+ consumers," including video games, fashion and music, said Corey Brown, Bud Light’s senior director of digital. "In addition, the tokens will bring to life our brand visual identity through color cues of blue and white, which are featured on our Bud Light NEXT packaging."