Budweiser Select 55
A smooth, light golden lager with 55 calories and the crisp, clean finish of Budweiser Select. Select 55 is brewed with caramel malts and a blend of imported and domestic hopping. Select 55 has a light golden color and offers aroma notes of toasted malt and subtle hopping.
1.2
212 reviews
St. Louis, United States
Community reviews
I didn’t think light beer drinkers would want anything lighter than Bud Light, but somehow the major macro breweries have all churned out sub-100 calorie lagers with Budweiser Select 55 being the lightest of them. At only 2.4% ABV it’s sessionable to say the least – but is it enjoyable? No.
I poured a 12oz can into a shaker glass. It was “born on” 7/18/14 and was given to me by my girlfriend’s girlfriend (thanks, Jodi!).
Appearance: Surprisingly dark gold hue, nearly copper. Crystal clear. Highly effervescent at first, but quickly becomes completely flat. Pours to a small, off-white, soda-like fizz that evaporates quickly.
Smell: Essentially the same as Bud Light or any comparable light macro lager, but even milder (and, thankfully, less offensive). Not so much offensive as it is neutral.
Taste: There isn’t much to say about the palette here since there’s so little genuine flavor. It has that classic taste found adjunct light lagers, but is even milder (which I didn’t know was possible until now). I do detect a modicum of sweetest here; something almost reminiscent of hard cider as there’s a slight tartness. Perhaps that apple character is just acetaldehyde – which the AB/InBev brands are notorious for having. In this presentation it actually works to the beer’s advantage since it’s so ridiculously mild overall. Don’t get me wrong, there really isn’t anything to genuinely enjoy here. The palette is offensive in that it’s so overtly bland, at least if it tasted like fizzy yellow beer there would actually be something to taste.
Drinkability: If AB/InBev was smart, they would market Budweiser Select 55 as the ultimate session beer since that’s really what it is at only 2.4% and 55 calories. I could see this being fairly refreshing on a hot summer’s day. The problem is the beer not only has a watered-down taste, but the actual delivery is equally watery. The carbonation dies out quickly, so it’s lacking the classic crisp mouthfeel you expect in a beer of this style.
Look: pours a light golden color. Very clear. White head.
Smell: bananas. Biscuit or cracker.
Taste: very light. Cracker taste. Maybe piney hops.
Feel: very thin mouth feel. Medium high carbonation.
Overall: ok beer. Easy drinker. Would be nice ice cold on a hot day.
First drank: home 12/7/14
No aroma. Taste is light, typical of the Bud line, but a little sweeter than usual, almost fruity. Not much flavor, mind you. No aftertaste. Watery and fizzy. Not horrendous. Low calorie and low alcohol (2.5% abv), so probably has it’s uses. I like it better than Bud Select.
no no no! i’m a whore so had to try, but damn this is nasty and pointless, Really.
Eh, a good beer when I’m on a diet or canoeing on the weekend. Worth a try if you’re looking for something light
My buddy offered me a sip of this the other night, I think that was all I will need to review this one...
A - Pours pale straw yellow with a fizzy white half finger tall white head leaving no lacing down the glass.
S - Kinda stale. Very faint hops and lightly toasted malt. How do they get people to drink this stuff? It is terrible.
T - I guess people like drinking stuff that tastes this bad. VERY faint hops and light malt. All you can really taste is how watery it is, and that is not a good thing.
M - Light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. This feels like I am drinking flavored water. Terrible.
D - Not good. How do you make a terrible beer even worse? You make Budweiser Select 55.
Ice cold can at Billy’s. Not bad actually. ..............................................
Transfer from BA review on 1-5-13-
Poured from can into pint glass
I have always wondered what these super low cal beers tasted like, so when I got this one for 50 cents with an expiration date of 2/2013 I thought it was time to bit the bullet and try one.
Appearance –Pours a medium golden color with a big billowy white head. The head fades very fast to leave almost no lacing.
Smell- The smell is a bit offensive and consists of rice, paper, metal and a very light corn.
Taste – The taste is overall very light (not too surprising). It starts out with a light bready and corn flavor. Some rice comes to the tongue more toward the middle along with a light paper taste. These flavors take the taste to its end where a tiny amount of citrus and tin comes to the tongue. In the end the tastes leave a watery and decntly clean feeling on the tongue. It was quite a bit more easy drinking then I would have expected.
Mouthfeel – As expected it is quite watery with a medium level of carbonation. The watery nature is very appropriate for the very light beer style as it makes it very drinkable and refreshing, but a slightly higher carbonation may have suited the brew slightly better.
Overall- While expecting the worst, it really was not much different than the standard light beer (maybe just a little less flavor). If you are really concerned about calories (well you probably aren’t if you reviewing big beers on BA), then this may be a good option, but if like me you want something with a bit more robust flavor, then leave it on its own.
Reviewed from notes but had this more than enough times in a pint glass to say something here.
The appearance was a clear light yellow to amber color with no head no matter how fast the pour or no matter how slow the pour is.
The smell had nothing and has never had anything.
The taste was basically watery in every aspect of it.
On the palate, it sat exceptionally light. The carbonation seemed appropriate for the style but really didn’t show much potential for anything else.
Overall, well, AB once again did what they wanted to. Thanks for making it for a tick/review.
Pretty much just watered down Bud Select. Less body and almost no flavor or aroma on it.
Looks promising. That’s about it. Tastes like watered down Bud Light
Had in 12 oz cans. Weak taste and very low abv content. just over 2%. if you want to look like a bad ass at a party, this is the beer for you. if you like the taste of beer, don’t even bother with this.
Absolutely nothing to say about it. Had it after a hot walk. It was refreshing as a cold beverage but that is it.
Backlog. Pours pale yellow. Nose and taste of light barley water and touch of corn/skunk. Thin watery body. Not much going on.
Rated on 3-19-2010 (Bottle with a born on date of 07 Sep 09. This beer pours a small very fizzy white head that quickly dissipated, transparent yellow body, fast rising carbonation, and spotty amounts of lacing. The aroma is corn and grainy. The taste mimics the aroma. The palate is tingly and this beer is light-medium bodied. Overall, this beer has no character. Next!!
This beer is pretty darn terrible, but on the other hand pretty impressive at only 55 calories. That’s the only good thing to say about this beer really.
Bottle: My girlfriend’s family likes to drink this on holidays, so I’ve had more than a few bottles. Amber body, great clarity, nearly no head. Aroma... barely there. Sweet grain, corn, slight skunk, sulfide? Taste is boring, watery, thin; slight touch of toasted, old grains, must, & steel with a skunky finish & super high carbonation. I’ve started making sure to bring my own beers.
(Backlog) This is NOT a beer...this is a disgrace. The smell is weak, grains and corn water. Taste is weak and watery.
Well, that was shitty. If my health ever declines to the point that I’m desperate enough to drink 55 calorie beer, I’ll just quit drinking.
It looks like apple juice, it smells like watery cat pee, it tastes like club soda
I don’t care about the calories... just don’t take out the flavor
Best thing you can say about this watered-down Bud Light is that it actually does look like a beer. If you’re that into trying to stay healthy, tap water has zero calories, more flavor, and almost as much alcohol. I honestly believe Bud Light has its place, but this 55 stuff is just awful.
Best beer I have ever had in my whole life. It tastes like a freshly shaved Carmeltoe. It made me cough from my purple headed warrior
Super light brew thanks to our founding fathers for this drink crisp and focused love it
An awful beer!!!!!!!!!###!!!#!##!!/#!#/##^#!#//####!!:!!#!!#!! $#^:!÷///÷÷×÷%//%=#%/!×%/!
I know this is club soda, but what makes it yellow? It’s bubbly and a little sour.Even the can is boring.
Does this really count as a beer? I’m pretty sure they could get it down to 0 calories if they tried really hard.
12oz bottle - pours pale straw with white head. Nose is corn? Flavors adds cardboard. 2.5% really? Watery. Wow!
Very watery....very watery..wow...no taste lots of carbonation....55% of a real beer© van...makes coors... light taste like a guiness© Keith
I can’t even believe this is a beer? it is so light and watery that you can drink 20 and probably still not be drunk........I don’t know who would buy this or want it............almost as bad as miller 64!!!
I could not drink this. I would not even have bought it. I was given this abomination. I thought to myself, Just how bad can this really be? So I poured it in my mouth, and nothing. It’s not that this is offensive, it’s nothing.
bottle. golden with minimal head. if you took a bud light and mixed it half and half with water, you’d have something like this. apparently you can dilute a watery beer with more water.