Five years ago tomorrow, I put up a post titled “Just Stop It – Bud Select 55 vs. MGD 64“. It was just a short rant about how ridiculous the concept of these two beers are to me. It probably took me 5 minutes to put together and very little thought. The beers are still around, but MGD 64 is called “Miller 64” these days.
Let’s play a little game. Go to Google and type in “MGD 64”. What comes up for you? I see that the 4th result overall is my post. If you try searching for “Bud Select 55”, my post is just the 8th ranked result. Who cares? Well, it has made this post my single most visited page on Seattle Beer News (this one is a close 2nd) and it has resulted in ongoing entertainment over the past 5 years. I’m sure the marketing teams at these breweries love that this post comes up when people are looking for info on these beers.
Its ranking on Google continues to draw people to the post, and the result is what is a seemingly never-ending stream of great comments. There are 90 comments total (easily the top post in terms of engagement for the site), and I’ve received several emails. The latest email was from a woman in Tarpon Springs, FL asking me if “you are discontinuing miller 64?”. She left me her phone number and email, but I still haven’t gotten back to her.
You are welcome to skim the comments section and soak it all in, but this note from “gary” is by far my favorite of the bunch:
i drink both select 55 and mgd 64. i dont mind the wateryness cuz i hate to much carbonation when im thirsty. not to mention im a weight lifter/mma enthusiast and carbs and cals matter when im on a week race trip and gonna drink two 30 packs regardless if its light or regular. drinkn is one of the biggest reasons for overweightness and diabetes. its a sacrifice that u just make if u care how u look. when i party its all night and i still like being coherent at the end. where i live bars are open till 4am. plus even though the alc is lower its enuff for that lil edge u need to deal or be around drunks. if i wanna get shit faced i drink grey goose and water. to be social and hang for the duration im pickin mich ult/mgd64/bud 55. personally i think the micros and flavored shit is all garbage.
For all the entertaining comments, though, there are several people who chime in and say that they drink these beers because they have diabetes. I guess I can understand that. From Woodrow:
It isn’t just about the calories, really it’s that diabetics need low carbohydrate beer. Select 55 is the lowest at 1.2 grams of carbs, while many full flavored beers you like are 20 grams ( 100 % of recommended daily allowance) per bottle. If you develop diabetes you’ll love this crap too! It doesn’t taste that bad compared to having your feet amputated
In reality, I certainly have no issue with people choosing to drink these beers. Drink what you will. At the same time, though, I’ll continue to think that the marketing campaigns and taste of these beers is ridiculous. Yes, I did try them at one point on the night of an ill-fated fantasy baseball draft…I believe there was even a pic of me drinking the Bud Select 55 floating around the onlines somewhere.
On one last random note, whenever I think of these beers and how they named them and came up with the exact calorie count, I can’t help but think of the “7 Minute Abs” scene from Something About Mary.
I was a heavy Busch/Budweiser drinker.. been since I was 18… im 34 now and spent my 34th birthday in the hospital cause I had a seizure. I was on other drugs so I cant blame it on beer but the hospital said to stop drinking. I was getting heavy on the beer before this happened so who knows I would drink 2 30 packs every weekend and one during the week. well now I dont want to have another as I bit my tounge to death and had it front of my mom, she called 911 well I now turned to a couple Bud Select 55s on the weekends cause I have to drink but the low alcohol content is perfect for me. I still get to drink a beer but its not going to hurt me. i just cant drink anything else cause im afraid. Bud Select 55 is quite refreshing out of bottles. I bought a case of cans and I have to say just buy 2 12ers of bottles it does taste better out of the bottles. But im not picky. I wll drink Select 55 from now on and thats it. I use to drink crafts and all kinds of beeer but always liked Budweiser and Busch. now I drink Select 55 and I like it… I dont love it I would love to have my Busch but im afraid. to each there own we all have are reasons… its this or Busch NA wich is only .50 alcohol content. Bud Select is 2.4% so a 12er is like 6 budweisers. also its a good beer for people who have to drive but wanna have some beers with friends. you can have 5 of these and not worrie about a DUI.
a few years ago i started doing the low carb life style thing. It sucks, but it’s way cooler than being a fattie-fat face. I like to drink socially. it’s what my group of friends do. go out, have a nice meal, grabs some drinks after, etc.
Your typical full-flavored beer is gonna have about 2 times more carbs in it than what i typically have in a single day. So, instead I opt for beers like 55, champagne, or specific wines that are low in carbs.
i’ve never had anyone be judgmental about it or insinuate that it was a lame-o choice.. of course i’d rather have a full-flavored beer. I miss good beer.
I think you’re probably a cool dude who hasn’t ever really needed to look into making his ass less fat, so it’s easy for you to drink one of these shit beers and bash it. I know it’s shit beer. We all know it’s shitty, watered-down, “ridiculous” flavored beer. But it’s like how I know that cauliflower is a shitty substitute for potatoes, but I’m still gonna make that swap.
i feel like this post was first to remind everyone about your 90(wow huge number btw, congrats) comment-worthy post on a website and then second to poke fun at some of those comments. it had very little do to with you thoughts on the beers today, and i’m curious. what are those thoughts? do you still think, after 6 years of watching this specific market grow that it was still a ridiculous idea or have you began to see the reasoning behind why the market exists?
do you think the topic is still worthy of discussion, because i’m shocked it ever was.
what are you thoughts on sugar substitutes? what about fat-free cheese? fat-free anything for that matter. diet and caffeine-free sodas? white or whole wheat? reduced fat options? lower sodium options?
let me know. i look forward to hearing what you have to say, you special little beer lover, you.
I think the author of this article is probably still in his 20s to early 30s and does not yet appreciate the benefits of drinking a low cal / low carb beer such as Select 55 or a Miller 64. Either that, or he is older than that and doesn’t mind being a fat faced fatty fatty fat person who likes to ridicule any light beer or people who drink them. Personally, I think Miller 64 is great and I’ve always hated those gross flavored yuppie beers.
Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole; however, this one is.
Repo Man FTW.
My mother and I love bud light 55 but also wanted you to know my mother’s dog is obsessed with it. ANY time we have one he sits there and barks and sneezes until he gets a drink. We now have to hide it or he won’t stop barking.
My mother and I love bud light 55 but also wanted you to know my mother’s dog is obsessed with it. ANY time we have one he sits there and barks and sneezes until he gets a drink. We now have to hide it or he won’t stop barking.
Trying to send you a picture .
Please forward Mary’s comments to Product Development: InBev.
If you puta bottle of Bud Select 55 in the freezer
for 10 minutes and get it really cold it makes a huge difference.
I am a die-hard beeraholic…it’s all I drink. I’m 52 and decided to make a lifestyle change – not so much alcohol and low carb diet.
Select 55 was my 1st choice, since Budlight was always my go-to beer. Might as well give me an Ozarka longneck. I always hated Miller, but decided to just try the 64. Wow. I love it. The taste is smooth, carbonation is just enough, and I can actually catch a small buzz. Next in line (though outrageously priced) is the Michelob Ultra. Lol I used to call this wimp beer, but it’s got a smooth little kick and provides enough alcohol to get happy on! I don’t ever plan to return to regular beer, so I hope these peeps keep on brewing!