I Tried Bud Light Next, a Beer With Zero Carbs and Zero Excitement

Bud Light has had a good thing going for a while. Even craft beer nerds can agree that Bud Light is an incredibly solid light lager, and Bud Light seltzers are some of the best hard sparkling waters you can drink. In other words, the beer brand has been a little more belly-friendly than other beers for some time.

So why have they felt the need to go further? Bud Light Next is Anheuser Busch’s newest offering, and it’s certainly the “healthiest.” How does the zero-carb beer compare to standard Bud Light? I tasted it and found out.

What Is Bud Light Next?

Bud Light’s zero-carb option has only 80 calories and rings in at 4% alcohol. A regular Bud Light has 110 calories (and even a Bud Light hard seltzer has 100), so this might be a big deal for beer drinkers looking to cut carbs. Even Michelob Ultra, a beer that is still in business despite the fact that I have never once heard a single person order it, has 95 calories. 

Is Bud Light Next Gluten-Free?

Though this beer is brewed with zero carbs, it’s not gluten-free. Like most beer, it’s made from malt. 

Is Bud Light Next a Seltzer?

It’s not seltzer, either. Brewed just like a standard beer, Bud Light Next starts from malted barley rather than sugar and carbonated water.

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Would I Drink It Again?

It says “Super Crisp Light Beer” across the top of the can, and technically, I cannot disagree. Without the carbs, “super crisp” really does define this, but that’s where the flavor stops. 

There isn’t that much flavor in a Bud Light to begin with, so draining it further might not be in anybody’s best interest. It’s almost like they stuck a can of Bud Light into one of those big scream extractors from “Monsters, Inc.” and sucked out all of its life force.

It tastes like a beer-flavored seltzer, really. Is that something you’d be into? While I can see the utility in drinking one of these alongside a meal (I’ll never understand the “burger and beer” pairing myth; it just makes me feel so full), I’d rather drink a Bud Light or a Bud Light seltzer in nearly every other situation. 

Pass, I’m afraid.