• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Thursday, June 11, 2009 11:01 AM

In an effort to reel in older drinkers with a hankering for flavor, Anheuser-Busch is rolling out Bud Light Golden Wheat nationally Oct. 5, Jeremiah McWilliams reports. It will be backed by a $30 million ad budget, about the same as that for Bud Light Lime, which has been the most successful new product in the industry's recent past.

Bud Light Golden Wheat will be positioned as a flavorful alternative, with the "drinkability" that folks expect from Bud Light, according to Keith Levy, A-B vp of marketing. The brewer is "trying to stay ahead of where consumers are going," he says. "Our expectations are fairly big for this, given that it's got Bud Light's name on it."

A-B will also test an ultra low-calorie beer called Select 55 in a few cities including Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., over next few months, McWilliams reports. The beer is named for the number of calories in a serving, not the minimum or maximum age of its target.

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