Is Budweiser Select 55 Still Available Updated 04/2026

Is Budweiser Select 55 Still Available? The Complete Answer Every Beer Drinker Needs in 2026

If you’ve been standing in the beer aisle lately, scanning row after row of cans and bottles and wondering what happened to that impressively slim Budweiser Select 55, you’re not alone. This question pops up constantly on forums, Reddit threads, and liquor store inquiry boards across the country. The short answer is: yes, Budweiser Select 55 is still available, but the full story is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. There’s a patchwork of regional availability, evolving packaging, shifting distribution patterns, and no shortage of confusing online misinformation that has left devoted fans genuinely baffled. This article digs into all of it.

What Exactly Is Budweiser Select 55?

Before addressing availability, it helps to understand what you’re actually looking for. Budweiser Select 55 is a premium light American-style lager brewed by Anheuser-Busch and produced out of St. Louis, Missouri. It belongs to the “Budweiser Select” family, sitting one rung below the standard Budweiser Select in terms of caloric content and alcohol strength.

Select 55 is a golden lager made with caramel malts and a blend of imported and domestic hops, brewed to complement the full flavor of Budweiser Select, but with only 55 calories. The brewing process is carefully calibrated to strip the calorie content down to the bare minimum while preserving at least some semblance of the classic Budweiser character.

Here are the core specifications you need to know:

• Style: American Light Lager (Premium)
• ABV: 2.4%
• Calories per 12 oz: 55
• Carbohydrates: 1.9g
• Fat: 0g
• IBU: 12
• Color: Light golden

Select 55 has a light golden color and offers aroma notes of toasted malt and subtle hopping. This is, by design, an extremely light-tasting beer. The mouthfeel is thin and carbonated, the finish is clean, and the overall profile is built for drinkability above all else.

The Origin Story: Why This Beer Exists at All

Understanding why Budweiser Select 55 was created helps explain why it occupies such an unusual position in the market. A version of Budweiser Select that contains 55 calories per 12 US fl oz serving is described as “a direct counterstrike to Miller’s MGD 64” according to Anheuser-Busch officials.

That competitive context is everything. When Miller launched MGD 64 (64 calories, 2.8% ABV) to capture the growing low-calorie segment, Anheuser-Busch’s response was characteristically aggressive. If Miller could go to 64 calories, Budweiser would go even lower. The result was Select 55, which launched around 2008 and immediately positioned itself as the lightest beer in the world, a claim that Budweiser still makes on its packaging today.

The food energy in both Miller’s MGD 64 and Budweiser’s Select 55 has been reduced simply by lowering the fermentables content. MGD 64 has only 2.8% alcohol content and Select 55 has an even lower 2.4% ABV; by comparison, most American lagers have around 5%.

The math here is simple but worth spelling out: alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, while carbohydrates contain 4. To reduce calories, you reduce alcohol. To reduce alcohol, you reduce fermentables. The result is a beer that some drinkers find refreshingly sessionable and others describe as barely distinguishable from sparkling water.

Is Budweiser Select 55 Still Being Made in 2025?

Here is where the confusion starts. A number of websites, many written years ago and never updated, claim that Budweiser Select 55 has been discontinued. This information is outdated and incorrect for most of the United States.

The evidence for its continued production is substantial and current:

Budweiser Select 55 remains a “premium light lager” that hits 2.4% ABV as well as 55 calories and 1.9g carbs per 12oz serving in 12oz bottles and 12oz cans, and new 2025 packaging has been released.

Active listings on Target, Kroger, Dollar General, Total Wine and More, BevMo, Binny’s, Fry’s Food Stores, and Festival Foods all show Budweiser Select 55 as an available product as of early 2026. Budweiser Select 55 is a Light Lager style beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch in Saint Louis, MO, with a BeerAdvocate score of 43 based on 639 ratings and reviews, with the most recent update in March 2026. That ongoing review activity on major beer platforms confirms active consumer access to the product right now.

Budweiser Select 55 is a premium light American-style lager with only 55 calories and the crisp, clean finish of Budweiser Select, described as the lightest beer in the world, brewed with caramel malts and a blend of imported and domestic hops for a smooth, refreshing taste. This is Dollar General’s active product description, updated for current inventory.

So where did the “discontinued” narrative come from? Two main sources: regional distribution gaps (real, ongoing, and frustrating for fans in certain markets) and a wave of low-quality content farms that published inaccurate discontinuation articles between 2020 and 2023 without verifying the claims. Those articles still rank in search results, creating the impression of settled fact. It is not settled fact. The beer is in production and on shelves.

Where to Buy Budweiser Select 55 Right Now

Availability varies by region, which is the legitimate caveat. Budweiser Select 55 has historically been a selectively distributed product, meaning it does not have the coast-to-coast saturation of Bud Light or Michelob Ultra. Here is where you have the best shot at finding it:

Major Grocery and Big Box Retailers

• Kroger (and affiliated banners like Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Smith’s) lists it in 24-count and 30-count can packs online with delivery or pickup options.
• Target carries the 30-pack 12oz can configuration and offers same-day delivery, Drive Up, and Order Pickup.
• Dollar General lists the 12-pack 12oz bottle format as an available product at select locations.
• Walmart carries it in many markets, though stock levels vary by store.
• Festival Foods lists the 30-pack can format with full nutritional info on its online store.

Specialty Beverage Retailers

• Total Wine and More lists it with location-based availability. The website noted it was available at Norwalk, CT when unavailable at a nearby New Jersey location, which illustrates the regional patchwork clearly.
• BevMo carries the 30-pack 12oz can format as a standard SKU.
• Binny’s (Illinois-based) offers it in 24-pack cans with curbside and store pickup.

Online Ordering and Delivery Apps

• GotoLiquorStore offers it with address-based availability checks and partners with local stores to fulfill orders.
• BeerMenus maintains a locator tool showing bars, beer stores, and restaurants near you that are currently carrying Budweiser Select 55.
• Instacart, DoorDash, and similar delivery platforms often list it through partner grocery and liquor stores.

Finding It Locally When Online Searches Fail

If you’ve struck out at the major chains, the most reliable approach is to call your local Anheuser-Busch distributor directly. Every county has one, and they can tell you exactly which retail accounts they’re servicing with Select 55 and whether it’s currently in rotation in your area. This is genuinely the fastest path from frustrated to refrigerator.

The Real Nutritional Story: Why 55 Calories Matters

The number “55” is not just marketing. For anyone tracking calories, managing weight, or maintaining a specific dietary lifestyle while still wanting a cold beer, that number represents a meaningful real-world advantage over the competition.

Budweiser Select 55 holds the top spot for the lowest calorie beer with just 55 calories per 12oz. Low ABV is key to low calories: beers with a lower alcohol by volume naturally contain fewer calories, as alcohol is a major calorie source.

Here is how Select 55 stacks up against the field:

The lowest calorie light beer options in 2025 include Bud Select 55 with 55 calories, followed by Miller 64 with 64 calories per 12-ounce serving. Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois Light both contain 95 calories. These ultra-light options typically have alcohol content between 2.8-4.2% ABV while maintaining refreshing taste profiles suitable for health-conscious consumers.

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The tradeoff is clear and worth naming directly: the primary reason Select 55 has so few calories is its very low alcohol content. At 2.4% ABV, it delivers significantly less of a buzz than any standard light beer. For a social drinker who wants something cold in hand at a cookout without accumulating calories across four or five hours, this is a feature. For someone who wants to feel their beer after two drinks, this is not the product.

Budweiser Select 55 has fewer calories (55) but also lower alcohol content (2.4% ABV), while Michelob Ultra has more calories (95) and higher alcohol content (4.2% ABV), offering a more traditional beer taste. That tradeoff is the core buying decision for most people comparing the two.

What Does Budweiser Select 55 Actually Taste Like?

Opinions on Select 55 are genuinely divided, and not along the lines you might expect. The critical beer community tends to dismiss it harshly. The practical, calorie-conscious consumer tends to defend it enthusiastically. Both camps have legitimate points.

The Case For It

At Total Wine and More, Select 55 carries an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 131 consumer reviews, which is striking. On Influenster, reviewers describe it as having “signature Budweiser crispness” and praise it as a solid everyday option for those watching their intake. One reviewer on BeerAdvocate credited it with helping them lose 60 pounds while still being able to enjoy beer regularly. That is not an irrelevant data point.

The flavor is mild, with a clean finish, making it a refreshing option for those looking to cut back on calories without sacrificing the classic Budweiser taste.

Select 55 is brewed with hand-selected choice hops for a crisp, refreshing aroma, a blend of lightly toasted two-row American barley malt and roasted caramel American barley malt for a bright, golden color, crisp clean taste, and a smooth finish.

The Case Against It

The professional and enthusiast beer community is considerably less charitable. On BeerAdvocate, the beer carries a score of 43 out of 100, which places it in the poor-to-fair range. Many reviewers use phrases like “seltzer water with beer memory” or note that the aroma is nearly absent.

Critics note it is so light and thin as to beggar belief, with the biggest question being how it’s possible to brew a beer with so little flavor.

The honest assessment sits somewhere between those poles. This is not a complex, aromatic, or deeply flavorful beer. It was never designed to be. It was designed to be the lowest calorie beer in the world that still technically qualifies as beer. If you approach it on those terms, it delivers exactly what it promises: something cold, mildly beer-flavored, highly carbonated, and carrying just 55 calories. Drink it ice cold. Don’t analyze it.

The Availability Confusion: Why People Think It’s Discontinued

The story of Select 55’s alleged discontinuation is worth unpacking because it has caused real frustration for fans over the years.

The beer has never had the same national distribution footprint as Bud Light. From its earliest days, it was a more selectively placed product. In some markets, particularly major coastal cities, it has been difficult or impossible to find at your average corner store. When supply chains tightened between 2020 and 2022, many stores quietly dropped slower-moving SKUs, and Select 55 was among them in several regions.

This created a genuine gap in availability that led some consumers and, unfortunately, some writers, to conclude the product had been killed off entirely. That conclusion was wrong, but it spread. The confusion was compounded by the fact that Anheuser-Busch made no major public announcement defending the product, and its marketing footprint has always been modest compared to Bud Light or Michelob Ultra.

Budweiser Select 55 is an American light beer that was first introduced by Anheuser-Busch. After several years of declining sales, the beer faced pressure in the highly competitive light beer market, but it remains part of the Anheuser-Busch portfolio.

The new 2025 packaging update is the clearest signal that Anheuser-Busch has not walked away from the product. Companies don’t invest in refreshed package design for beers they’re about to kill.

Budweiser Select 55 vs. Budweiser Select: What’s the Difference?

A persistent source of confusion, especially for people who haven’t followed this product closely, is the distinction between Budweiser Select and Budweiser Select 55. These are two separate beers:

Budweiser Select (without the 55 designation) is the fuller-bodied sibling. At 4.3% ABV and 99 calories, it occupies a middle ground between standard Bud Light and regular Budweiser. It has broader distribution and tends to be easier to find. Some reviewers describe Budweiser Select as having “more flavor than its bland flagship Budweiser,” starting dry but finishing with a stronger beechwood flavor.

If you can’t locate Select 55 in your market, Budweiser Select is the closest in-family alternative, though you’ll be getting nearly double the calories and nearly double the alcohol.

Who Actually Drinks Budweiser Select 55?

The consumer profile for Select 55 is genuinely interesting, and it tells a story about how Americans are approaching alcohol in 2025.

The primary audience is calorie-conscious drinkers who aren’t willing to go fully non-alcoholic. This includes people on weight management programs who have incorporated a few beers into their weekly calorie budget, fitness-focused adults who want a post-workout option that doesn’t undo their day, and social drinkers who want to participate in multiple hours of drinking without the accumulation that standard beer brings.

There’s also a significant segment of older adults who have discovered Select 55 as a way to continue enjoying beer while managing health conditions that require reduced alcohol intake. At 2.4% ABV, it’s roughly half the strength of a standard light beer, which matters for people managing certain medications or health considerations.

And then there is the group that doesn’t fit a tidy demographic box: people who simply prefer extremely light-tasting beer. Not everyone wants intensity. Some people want something cold and sessionable that won’t make them feel heavy after three cans. For that specific preference, very few products in the American market compete with Select 55.

Alternatives If You Still Can’t Find It

Even with the best information, there will be people reading this in markets where Budweiser Select 55 is genuinely unavailable. Here are the strongest alternatives, ranked by how closely they replicate the Select 55 experience:

Miller 64 (MGD 64): The original rival. At 64 calories and 2.8% ABV, it’s the closest competitor in the ultra-light category. Slightly more calories, slightly more alcohol, broadly similar flavor profile. Easier to find in most markets.

Bud Light Next: At 80 calories and 4% ABV with zero carbohydrates, this is a different kind of light beer but appeals to the same health-conscious audience. Bud Light Next weighs in at 0g carbs, 80 calories, and 4% ABV, compared to Budweiser Select 55’s 2g carbs, 55 calories, and 2.4% ABV. More alcohol, no carbs, slightly more flavor.

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Michelob Ultra: The dominant player in the low-calorie segment. Michelob Ultra, currently the top-selling beer in America, contains 95 calories and 2.6g carbs. It’s 40 calories heavier than Select 55 per serving, but it has a significantly fuller flavor and standard alcohol content. If taste matters more than pure calorie minimization, Ultra is the more satisfying option.

Corona Premier: At 90 calories and 2.6g carbs with 4.0% ABV, it offers a fuller drinking experience with a mild, clean taste.

Non-Alcoholic Beers: If the goal is purely caloric management, the modern NA beer market has become remarkably sophisticated. Brands like Athletic Brewing produce non-alcoholic IPAs and lagers with 25-75 calories and genuine beer flavor, which is a category that has transformed dramatically in recent years.

Food Pairings That Make Select 55 Work

Because Select 55 is so light in both flavor and body, it pairs best with foods that don’t compete with or overwhelm it. The goal is harmony, not contrast.

Select 55 pairs well with kabobs, turkey, steak, or other lighter fare, and is described as perfect for those who are selective about what they drink and what they eat.

Beyond those suggestions, here are pairings that genuinely work:

Grilled chicken: The clean carbonation cuts through any char without competing with seasoning. Works especially well with lemon-herb preparations.

Fresh salads: Sounds odd but tracks well. The beer’s mild maltiness doesn’t clash with vinaigrette-dressed salads the way a hoppier or stronger beer might.

Light seafood: Steamed shrimp, ceviche, or simple fish tacos are ideal companions. The delicacy of the food matches the delicacy of the beer.

Salty snacks: Pretzels, popcorn, and chips are natural pairings. The carbonation and mild sweetness work well alongside salt.

Spicy foods: The low alcohol and gentle malt profile means it actually provides some cooling relief from heat without adding to the intensity. Mild salsa, light Thai dishes, or spiced grilled meats all work well.

Where Select 55 doesn’t work: rich, bold foods. A cheeseburger with all the fixings will simply overpower it. A double IPA it is not. Treat it like you’d treat sparkling water with a flavor accent, and let the food do the heavy lifting.

The Bigger Picture: Low-Calorie Beer in 2025

Budweiser Select 55 exists within a larger cultural and market context that explains why it’s still alive in 2025 when many predicted it would die a quiet death.

The low-calorie and low-alcohol beverage segment has not just survived, it has expanded dramatically. Americans are drinking less per occasion but more mindfully. The “sober curious” movement, the rise of wellness culture, and growing awareness of alcohol’s caloric density have all pushed consumers toward lighter options. Michelob Ultra became the number one top-selling beer in America as of September 2025. The fact that a 95-calorie beer now sits atop the entire American beer market says everything about where consumer preferences have moved.

Within that context, Budweiser Select 55 occupies a specific niche: the extreme end of the calorie spectrum. It’s not chasing Michelob Ultra’s mainstream consumer. It’s serving the person who has already adopted the light beer mindset and wants to push it as far as it goes while still drinking something with alcohol in it.

A 12oz beer can range from 55 calories (Budweiser Select 55) to over 300 calories in a double IPA depending on the brand, style, and ABV, with the single biggest factor being alcohol content, not carbs, not “lightness,” not the label. Understanding that relationship between alcohol and calories is what makes Select 55’s position at the absolute bottom of the calorie ladder make complete sense: you can only get that low by going very low on ABV.

Getting the Most Out of Budweiser Select 55

If you’re a current or returning fan of this beer, a few practical notes:

Serve it very cold. At 2.4% ABV with minimal flavor compounds, temperature matters more here than with stronger beers. The optimal temperature is right at the edge of freezing. A lukewarm Select 55 is not a pleasant experience. Give it at least two hours in the coldest part of your fridge.

Use a clean glass. The minimal carbonation and light color show best in a clean, cold pint glass or pilsner glass. This is also the most effective way to appreciate (or at least detect) the aroma of toasted malt that the beer is supposed to carry.

Don’t compare it to craft beer. This seems obvious, but the strongest negative reviews come from people who approach it as if it should taste like a Belgian saison or a West Coast IPA. It was never that, and it never will be. Judge it by what it is, and what it is quite good at: cold, low-calorie, sessionable refreshment.

Buy fresh. Light beer maintains optimal freshness for 90-120 days from the packaging date when stored properly in cool, dark conditions between 35-40°F, with canned light beer typically staying fresh longer than bottled versions due to better UV light protection. Check can dates when buying. A stale Select 55 has even less going for it than a fresh one.

A Note on Pricing

Budweiser Select 55 is priced in line with the premium light beer segment, typically falling between Bud Light (more affordable) and Michelob Ultra (premium-priced). A 30-pack of 12oz cans typically runs in the $18-$24 range depending on your market and retailer, comparable to what you’d pay for a similar configuration of Coors Light or Miller Lite. It’s not a budget beer, but it’s not priced at a steep premium either. Dollar General’s listings suggest the brand is actively seeking accessibility across income levels.

Final Thoughts

Budweiser Select 55 is still here. It didn’t get a quiet funeral. It didn’t get quietly slipped off store shelves while nobody was looking. It got new packaging for 2025, it’s actively stocked at Target, Kroger, Dollar General, Total Wine, and dozens of regional retailers, and it still holds the title it has carried since launch: the lightest commercially available beer in the world at 55 calories per 12oz serving.

What it never became is the juggernaut Anheuser-Busch may have hoped for. Michelob Ultra owns the low-calorie mainstream. Craft and NA beers are winning the prestige conversation. Bud Light, despite its turbulent few years, still dominates raw volume. Select 55 occupies a specific, loyal, and genuinely underserved niche, and for the people inside that niche, no alternative quite hits the same number.

If you love it, your hunt has an end. If you’re discovering it for the first time, go in with calibrated expectations: this is a beer engineered for a purpose, not for poetry. Pour it cold, raise it toward whatever you’re celebrating, and appreciate the remarkable arithmetic of fitting an actual alcoholic beverage into just 55 calories. That, at minimum, deserves some recognition.

Sources: https://chesbrewco.com
Category: Beer