Budweiser Select 55 - Anheuser-Busch

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

1.35/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Had to try it just to see what the hype was all about. I'm still impressed that this hasn't been retired by the brewery. It's one thing to have a light beer, and it's another thing to have a Light Light Beer. Honestly, I'm struggling to see the purpose to this. If Americans are getting too fat to enjoy a good beer from time to time then they shouldn't be having beer at all. This beer is a waster of money, time, ingredients, and everything else that is put into making this. I'd rather see this removed from the shelves and Crystal Pepsi put in it's place.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 16:18:00 | More by Knapp85

jsprain1

Minnesota

1.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A- Pale straw. Fizzy head disappears immediately.
S- It smells like grains steeped in water. If it were stronger it would be like when you forget about that empty bowl of cereal for a couple days.
T- Grainy, slightly metallic. Undeniably watery. Best drunk tremendously cold.
M- Watery. Thin. Initially overcarbed, but by the end the carbonation is gone.
D- Easy to drink, in that it's almost water. Not easy to drink in that it doesn't taste that great.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 17:06:27 | More by jsprain1

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

1.2/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

2.4% really? awesome!!!

Poured into pint glass.

Pours a light layer of white head. Fades away quick. Color is a clear golden yellow.

Aroma: Grains. That is all. This smells more like water than it does beer.

Taste: See aroma. Really. This beer has no beer taste to it. Grains at a very minimal.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and crisp. High carbonation. Light bodied. Ends bland and dry.

Overally, is this a beer or some kind of water? I guess it was easy to drink, but that was because it was basically water. Would I drink it again? No.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 04:42:36 | More by mothman

afinepilsner

Iowa

1.68/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

12oz clear bottle

Select 55 was pale yellow in color with good clarity. It had a fizzy white head that disappeared instantly. The smell was very light and clean with a bit of cereal grain. The taste was water with a touch of grain thrown in. The mouthfeel was as close to water as you can get with light carbonation. Drinkability was poor. This is the wateriest beer that I have ever tried.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 21:42:37 | More by afinepilsner

chiccabeer

Massachusetts

1/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

OK so my updated review:

I hate to even admit I have tried this beer, but I have. This should not even be classified as a beer and more as a liquid used to torture our enemies. There is nothing about this beer that could be classified as good except after you drink one you only sacrificed your soul and 55 calories to try it.

Here is why I said the above. This beer has an awful taste that only get worse when it gets warmer. There is no flavor to discuss. I understand this is seems like I am "slamming" this beer. I really am not! There isn't anything to write about with this beer. The mouth feel is almost chalky leaving your mouth dry. The flavor is a a generic American style bud, but with less taste. I would recommend you try another beer if you are looking for a lot cal beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 16:49:32 | More by chiccabeer

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

2.6/5  rDev +56.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 5

A- Well there's not much to say here but should there be? Surprisingly the color is more golden than I was expecting, being darker than the grassy yellow straw that I thought I'd get. That's where the good stops...lots of ginger ale like carbonation rising to the top and very little head initially, which quickly disappears to literally nothing. Also, there is no lacing to speak of, but I didn't have many expectations for the look of this one....

S- Not much to speak of here either, with the standard aromas available. Dry grassy straw, some raw grain and a little skunk sum this one up. No hop bitterness to speak of....just a slight metallic dryness...

T- While there is nothing impressive about the flavor of this beer, I have to admit that for a light beer with only 55 calories that the flavor is about as good as it can get! There is some very mild malt flavors but with a little skunk mixed in. Of course the finish is nothing special other than clean and a bit adjunct-ish.

M- Thin, watery body and with lots of carbonation, but what do you expect?! There isn't much else to say about this but it is crisp and clean which I guess is what it should be!

D- This is a very easy beer to slam back! It's light flavor and heavy carbonation would be killer as a patio beer, but I think it would be more effort than it's worth, having to use the toilet often and not getting the desired buzz effect. I'll stick to a standard macro before this but if I'm having a heavy meal, this might be a compromise. A notch below Bud Select but a notch above MGD 64!

Serving type: can

03-05-2011 04:41:26 | More by ChrisCage

orangesol

Pennsylvania

1.45/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

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.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 17:09:25 | More by orangesol

Wasatch

Utah

1.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a clean pale yellow color, some carbonation, with a fizzy little white head, some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is grainy/ricy, slight spice. The taste is watery at best, not much going on here. Light Body. Not Drinkable, a waste of money on this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 20:53:26 | More by Wasatch

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.95/5  rDev +77.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

another entry from the lost notebook!

i saw this one in the in laws fridge and had forgotten to bring anything with me that day so i just went with it. poured it into a pint glass and a light golden amber comes through right away. again nothing really crazy here an exactly what i had expected. short lived head and lively carbonation were common place. aroma is light grain, muted and touched by very light hop notes that seem to provide something, but again so light it is really hard to detect. crisp, clean, super light and had virtually no aftertaste. not a terrible beer just a non existent one. too light and overly carbonated but i have had much worse.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 02:32:54 | More by mikesgroove

JayS2629

Alabama

1.78/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

A- Thin, watery pale yellow with fizzy white head that fades fast. Looks like gingerale.

S- There is a smell? I tried to find a smell and ended up snorting beer. Faint, faint hint of sweet malt and maybe citrus.

T- Its like watered down, watered down beer. No wonder its low in calories, its basically water with a splash of beer. Very faint sweet taste of malt and corn and thats it.

M- Overly carbonated, thin and watery

D- Harsh and fizzy, watery, boring, and unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 14:12:47 | More by JayS2629

BBri

New Jersey

1.25/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

A: Very light, golden color seems to be almost a by-product rather than a goal...

S: Sweet and very light. Very little character.

T: Harsh. Bad. Like Bud Bight and water mixed 50/50.

M: Heavily carbonated so it's almost like drinking a soda. If a good stout is silky smooth, this is like drinking felt with sand on it.

D: I would highly recommend against it. It's all around bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 15:03:11 | More by BBri

BeerPhan86

New York

1.93/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into my Stella glass for maximum enjoyment.

A - Appears as ginger ale with a foamy one finger head that quickly dissipates. Clear and straw colored with very apparent over-carbonation.

S - Smells like chalk, tin, and cheap booze.

T - Completely bland and almost tasteless. It's as if they put cornflakes into a bowl of water and sprinkled dried paint chips in. Grainy aftertaste.

M - Very light but the carbonation is harsh. Not enjoyable.

D - I guess you could session this is you wanted. I would take almost any other light beer over it, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:02:45 | More by BeerPhan86

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

1.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Got in a sampler sixer just for the purpose of reviewing, lol.

Yellow and clear with a good head that quickly dissipates into nothing and leaves spotty and minimal lacing.

Doesn't smell at all really. Barely detectable lemony grains are all I can find.

Tastes like a watered down lager with a pinch of lemon.

Feels like water with a little carbonated beer in it.

Drink is a zero but that's not an option so I'll up it to a full 1.0.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 01:26:00 | More by AlCaponeJunior

beertunes

Washington

1/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Another one I drank as part of losing a bet. Clear bottle poured into straight pint glass. I honestly try to find something positive about every beer I try, but even I couldn't find one nice thing to say about this puppy. Clear, urine color. No grain or hop scents. Almost zero flavor. The same amount of body as a glass of water. Water has a higher level of drinkability because it's not pretending it's not water. Only drink if you lose a bet.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 03:21:51 | More by beertunes

Brent

Kentucky

1.13/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

First - the obligatory BA disclaimer - this was left in the fridge and was simply taking up space more worthily occupied by some (any) other brew. I decided I might as well give it a chance. Poured a very light gold. Some vague sweetness in the aroma. Flavor - well, there's the rub - there is none, or, at least almost none. I think I could pretty well replicate this beer by taking a Bud Light, and mixing it with three parts club soda. I am at a loss to understand why anyone, even a light beer fan, would bother to drink this. It is wet. That is about it.

Serving type: can

11-12-2010 14:40:58 | More by Brent

Thorpe429

Illinois

1.05/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

A relative was "nice" enough to leave a bottle of this in the fridge for me. Why not? Many reasons, I find out. First, it pours without almost no color and can't hold a head or produce lacing with the hardest of pours. Smells like a tiny bit of grain and tastes the same. No off flavors, but that's not enough to keep it from getting the "awful" mark. Feel is quite light and overly carbonated. Drinks quickly, but there's absolutely no reason to take a second sip.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 01:21:55 | More by Thorpe429

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

1.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Alright, this beer is fairly pointless. An ABV of 2.4?
Pours straw yellow color kind of like the color of urine.
Smelled like booze.
Taste like water and bland barley.
Very, very thin mouthfeel.
Only drinkable for wimps and people who want to join in beer drinking with people who drink actual beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 02:24:39 | More by TheKingofWichita

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev +95.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Look - lighter golden color. Two fingers of head that dissipated pretty quickly. Slow carbonation.

Smell - Not too much smell, but just a tiny whiff of the typical light lager smell: watered down hoppiness.

Taste - More balanced "blandness" than most light lagers. No strong tastes otherwise.

Mouthfeel - Pretty strong on the watery part of the texture scale.

Drinkability - As far as light lagers go, this is a very drinkable beer. It definitely is lacking in complexity, but helps you maintain a buzz after sampling other more "diverse" beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 04:52:06 | More by Nerudamann

APKurt

California

2.95/5  rDev +77.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I got a great laugh from reading all the reviews of Select 55. I actually consume quite a lot of this stuff and it's really quite drinkable.

For all of you who are wondering why anyone would drink Select 55, here's the reason: it's pretty easy to drink a LOT of alcohol every damn night. Especially because I find it very difficult to grill my dinner without a beer in my hand.

I prefer IPAs and stouts with the occasional whit on warm summer evenings. I also like smokey Islay scotches and sweet bourbons depending on my mood. And, I like beer! I don't want to sit around sipping Perrier or diet soda every evening. With Select 55 I can enjoy the taste of an Arrogant Bastard or a Woodford Reserve to start off the evening and then drink four or five Select 55's without getting hammered or putting on 10 lbs a week. Five or six Lagunitas IPAs or Lagavulins every night would do some damage over time.

The taste of Select 55 is decent (i.e. non-offensive) and they go down nice and easy. It's light and pleasantly carbonated with just enough alcohol to take the edge off after a 10 hour work day. 55 is also perfect for camping or the beach when you literally could down a case of these throughout the day and not get hammered or sick. No it's not an objectively great beer, but it's perfect for what it is and therefore one of my "favorite" daily drinkers.

Serving type: can

09-21-2010 07:31:46 | More by APKurt

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev +85.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Appearance: Ok head retention. Almost no carbonation upon opening, although you do get a fair amount when you shake it a bit. Overall, it's ok, but not great.

Smell: Mostly a grainy beer smell. I can't really describe this as anything else. It doesn't smell bad or skunked by any means. I can dig this on a basical level.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This stuff does not taste bad. Clean corn-like cereal grain. Like the smell, the taste does not have any bad qualities. The mouthfeel, however, leaves much to be desired. Extremely watery. Not slimy though, so that keeps this from getting a bad grade in this area.

Drinkability: No offensive smell or taste. Smooth, watery finish. All of these qualities make this pretty easy to drink.

Overall: Not a world-class beer by any means. Yet I find some surprisingly pleasant qualities with this. It smells ok, tastes ok, and is very easy to drink, which I think is the point of this beer. On these grounds, I give Budweiser Select 55 a thumbs up as a decent, albeit not great, beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 05:04:32 | More by tjsdomer2

EgadBananas

Louisiana

2.15/5  rDev +29.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Very pale, very see through. A finger of head was produce, but literally in an instant, it was gone! But, it's a-typical.

S - Nothing on the smell. A little sweet corn, maybe grains. Everything is faint. There some metallic notes I'm not liking.

T - Minimal. Even for a light lager, it's just next to nothing, with this awful grainy aftertaste.

M - It's like water, need I continue?

D - It's easy to drink, but that does not equate to desirable.

On to the chug to end this nightmare...

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 23:11:02 | More by EgadBananas

Natainos

New York

2.63/5  rDev +58.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Corny color

S: nothing good, light to no aroma

T: cold with a few drops of Lemon/ Lime juice, it adds a little flavor to this tasteless watery beer.

Mothfeel: combination galore to watery

drinkability: Sure for the few calories, why not or not.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 01:05:54 | More by Natainos

SeattleSteveK

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +118.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

This is Hi-Tech Beer !

(like the computer you are using to view this review)

I'd challenge anyone to home-brew or even take the time to brew this beer.

This beer (?)/beverage is like malt flavored bottled water with a bit of a buzz. Judged on this premise, it can be AWE-some ! I wish I could drink this from my water bottle at work ! .. or on the bus, or in public ! :-)

Disclaimer: I've been doing ANA (Atkins, low carb) so I appreciate a low carb beer.

I can easily have fun drinking 4-6 of these to come up with a decent review and not get too buzzed ! 2.6 % ABV ? Damn ! .. maybe AB has re-invented the English Mild :-p (low carb).

On Sale and in a can, I like this stuff. I buy it for about $ 14 per 18 pack, and compared to other low carb food, that's a damn good deal. Compared to bottled water it's pretty good too, plus a malt back and buzz. I'm not CRAZY; I'm not gonna pay top $ for this stuff.

It has a watery initial flavor, some mid flavor and an every so slightly malty after taste.

I serve this from a can, into a glass. I like to see this beer. I drink with pleasure and don't slam these. Do you 'slam' your premium bottled water ?

This brand is probably like "Pepsi One vs. Coke Zero" -- Miller 64 vs. AB Select 55, but I hope they keep the category.

For Buzz, 3 of these is pretty close to 1 12 oz. 8 % beers. with a way less carbs !

Maybe a designated driver could have one of these when out with a group .. Just One .. with some food ... maybe get a bit of a buzz which would soon be gone.

If Bud or any American mega beer is BEER, then so is this. (or a malty, watery beverage, brewed, and with a bit of a buzz)

An Ultimate Lawnmover Beer .. to have a couple or few before and after mowing the lawn !

Serving type: can

08-21-2010 07:20:03 | More by SeattleSteveK

thagr81us

South Carolina

1.83/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Got this one for free out of a buddy's fridge. Had just gotten back from the Foothills Baltic Porter release and needed to sober up some, this was my first choice. Served from bottle into a Corona Extra shaker. Poured golden yellow with a one finger white head that died a very swift death. There was no lacing evident throughout. The aroma was comprised of malt, wheat, and URINE!? The flavor was of water, grain, and malt; mostly water however. It was light on the palate with low carbonation. Overall my question is, where did the flavor go??? However, I am glad that the urine I picked up on in the aroma stayed in the aroma and didn't hit my palate. This one was nice for sobering up, but that's about it...

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 18:56:01 | More by thagr81us

morebeergood

Massachusetts

2.2/5  rDev +32.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A friend left one lonely can in my fridge after a get together this past weekend. I figured I'd pop it open last night and finish it off. Poured into a pils glass. Very light yellow body, with moderate carbonation. Small fizzy head. Smell was nonexistent. Taste also was pretty much absent. Barely more flavor than water. Mouthfeel had some bubbles to it, and it was an easy beer to drink, which is what AB is looking for. But at 2.4% abv, what's the point? Since it's basically a non-alcoholic beer, you'd be better off drinking a lemonade. At least that has some flavor and "low calories".

Serving type: can

08-10-2010 15:52:26 | More by morebeergood