Best Guess at a Bud Select 55 clone

[Hang Glider]

this is as close as I could get....
alcohol is a bit low, but the calories are right on!

2 1/2 lbs of grain in a 5G batch...

 

[Hammy71]

Recipe looks as delicious as the beer probably taste.....

 

[bbrim]

That is calories per pint, Bud55 is per 12 ounces, you have a little room to go up there.

 

[ChemE]

Yeah you can go all the way up to dilute piss water instead of super diluted piss water. I tried MGD 64 on draft a while back head-to-head vs. a SA Boston Lager and the MGD smelled and tasted exactly like water. I can't imagine shaving another 9 calories off the bottle!

 

[McGarnigle]

OG = 1.013. If I make this with extract, I'll avoid the curse of 1.020.

 

[mithion]

There's a full half ounce of hops in this recipe? Amazing...

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

Where's all the rice and bithcwood?

 

[mclane2003]

Here's an easier recipe budweiser select + water. Might as well cut out the middleman and pour it into the toilet.

These low cal beers annoy me because all they are doing is making beer with next to no alcohol in it. Your recipe has 1.17% ABV. With that ratio my recipe would be about 1/3 of a 3.2 beer and 2/3 water.

Sorry to be rude.

 

[yodalegomaster]

Is it just me? Or does it seem silly to even to think about a recipe like this!

Why don't you brew a Real Pilsner with 7 lbs of malt, then when your done add 10 gallons of water to it, That's what AB/bud does to make select 55. That way you can save all that time and energy having to brew this 3 times. That way you can have 15 gallons of worthless beer it 1/3 the time. Sounds like a real time and energy saver to me.

 

[Hammy71]

Is it just me? Or does it seem silly to even to think about a recipe like this!

Why don't you brew a Real Pilsner with 7 lbs of malt, then when your done add 10 gallons of water to it, That's what AB/bud does to make select 55. That way you can save all that time and energy having to brew this 3 times. That way you can have 15 gallons of worthless beer it 1/3 the time. Sounds like a real time and energy saver to me.

PPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTT.........

I think it's a joke..........

 

[goodgodilovebeer]

Think of the profit AB makes on each bottle they sell. A LHBS could supply for that recipe.

 

[wyzazz]

Tell you what, I'll drink one of my House Pales, let it marinate for an hour or so, then relieve myself in to the empty bottle. Chill & Serve!

 

[hal2814]

It's an interesting challenge getting so few calories out of a drink comprised almost entirely of alcohol and carbohydrates. Does anyone know the ABV of Select 55?

 

[MVKTR2]

I do know that I loves me some Fidyfive! It's easily the best bier in all zee world, yea!!! I also love their awesome ads I just feel free, as if riding nude on a clydesdale through Central Park when guzzling my Fidyfive, dats wat I'm talkn bout!:rockin:







Seriously though I too don't see anywhere where the OP said they were going to brew it. Ratebeer has the abv listed at 2.4%. I don't know that you can mix a 12 oz. bottle of water and vodka to 2.4% abv and come up with 55 calories. Anyone know how to test that theory? Brewsoftware?

Bravo to AB for selling a low-alcohol bier. I'm convinced a majority of their product is consumed to get drunk, which I have a bit of a problem with. (not a neoprohibitionist here, just a commentary on why people drink, think self medicating, social pressure, etc.) Plays into my whole belief that AB is an immoral corporation. Think about it, how often do you see people carrying 18 packs or multiple cases of swill out of the store vs people simply picking up a 6er of flavorful ale!

Schlante,
Phillip

Ps as a side note I have though of brewing something like a 2.5% abv bier with belgian yeast, roast malts, and some late C-hops to get lots of flavor etc. in a very low alc. brew.

 

[permo]

Wow, I have a feeling that they may use a specialized strain of japaneese dry lager yeast that ferments super dry. Who knows though. This beer is certainly not worth the time to investigate. I think as has been aluded to in earlier posts, that they just water down select and call it good. What a money maker this "healthy" beers are for AB. Less ingredients = less cost + sell for more = $$$$$

 

[droopy]

your body digests alcohol by turning it to sugar. So even fermenting to low final gravitys doesn't change caloric content... Shots of jim bean still have significant calories...

My folks just came back from poland and brought me a few original budweisers-- I would clone that instead... Not pasteurized-- fresh--- It was really good. $20 american dollars gets you a couple cases delivered to your door there...

 

[humann_brewing]

wow a 41.25 calorie 12oz beer here

But for their 55 calorie, my guess is they are going from 1.018 > 1.000

That gets you 2.33 ABV, they round up of course and 54.75 Calories.

 

[rmolledo]

I'd like to try and make a low calorie/low abv beer. It would be very difficult to make a flawless smooth/crisp tasting low cal/abv beer. As a home brewer I'm up for the challenge. I was thinking maybe making like a 2-3 gal batch of whatever, then diluding it with an water to make 5 gals durring bottling, this would reduce the risk of infection due to low alcohol durring fermintation.

 

[sirsloop]

Extreme unextreme brewing... its the new thing. You guys must have too much time on your hands.

 

[wscott823]

PPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTT.........

I think it's a joke..........

I second this opinion. I'll tell you though, I give Hang_Glider props for the ultimate bait in trollfest fishing

 

[fasteddie64]

Select 55 is in my opinion the best lite beer out there. The flavor is enough to be satisfyingly acceptable without being bloated. And for those that say the ABV is to low drink what you want then and when your liver is distended and sticking out the right side of your abdomen like a small watermelon More Power To You.

 

[mashpaddled]

I'd guess they make this out of a fairly weak grist and additional enzymes to get the beer as dry as possible. You can't avoid the calories in alcohol but you can break down the unfermentable sugars which also contribute to the calorie load. I understand Bud Light is a four hour mash in the low 140s to get the beer that dry but at some point it seems like added enzymes become cheaper than leaving a mash in the tun for an absurd amount of time. If you wanted to make this at home, it seems like a heck of a lot easier than trying to maintain a mash for twelve hours or whatever at the right temperature.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I think from another thread, sanitizing your fermenter with urine is a key part of the process here.

 

[Beermeister32]

Just make a quality Helles or Pilsner at standard strength. Water it back in the glass with seltzer water.

That way you get a nice beer on tap, and have an option for a light beer when you feel like one without committing to a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Steveruch]

I think from another thread, sanitizing your fermenter with urine is a key part of the process here.

Only use your own urine if you can't borrow the neighbor's horse.

 

[bracconiere]

hmm, if i was going to brew a extra lite beer...

it'd be something like 5-6lbs base malt
a tad of munich 10.

lightly hopped

and fermented dry with the help of gluco...but for me i'd just end up drinking more of it, so the lower calories really wouldn't matter to me. i'd just end up draining a keg quicker, but honestly if you only need 1-2 low ABV beers to be conntent "WHY NOT"!

 

[Broothru]

Did a Brut beer a couple of years ago. Came out OK, won Blue Ribbon in the Experimental category at a local comp.

Don't remember the OG, but FG was 0.998, using amyloglucosidaise enzyme in both the mash and fermentation. The mash itself was a pretty standard Hoch-Kurz step mash, and the fermentation was like most others except for the level of attenuation.

As memory serves, it was 95ish KCals and maybe 3 carbs. Tasted much better than most commercial 'lite' beers.

 

[JAReeves]

hmm, if i was going to brew a extra lite beer...

it'd be something like 5-6lbs base malt
a tad of munich 10.

lightly hopped

and fermented dry with the help of gluco...but for me i'd just end up drinking more of it, so the lower calories really wouldn't matter to me. i'd just end up draining a keg quicker, but honestly if you only need 1-2 low ABV beers to be conntent "WHY NOT"!

I was going to tag you on this because of your experience using enzymes to make a low-carb brew, but perhaps I shouldn't have taken this post seriously.

 

[bracconiere]

because of your experience

this was like from 2010....but my 'expience' would be a link to where i pick up a pound from brewhaus for $25...and just pitch it with the yeast....


light beer! it either has more or less calories...but there all alcohol, so it really doesn't matter...

 

[madscientist451]

According to their advertising materials the Select 55 is made with lightly toasted barley malt and caramel malt.
But their website says 2-row and 6- row barley and rice.
I've been drinking some Busch Light in an effort to reduce calorie/carbs intake and I can't really see myself paying a premium price for Select 55.
I haven't seen the Select 55 in 30 packs, only in 6 packs for about $8 and I'm just not paying that much for a 2.5% beer.
But brewing a decent homebrew version would be an interesting challenge.
So is it possible to get a flavorful homebrew light lager with only 2.5 % ABV and 55 calories?
I can get 30 packs of Busch Light for $20, so I don't see any point in homebrewing a clone of that. But what about version that has more flavor?
Yeah, I've seen all the wisecracks....just piss in a bottle, water it down and call it a day, blah blah, but not everyone can drink DIPA and Imperial Stouts and remain in decent shape.