Bud Light Platinum Review: What Beer Drinkers Think About the Newest Bud

This Bud Light Platinum review tells you what beer drinkers think about the newest Bud to hit the shelves.

Bud Light Platinum beer was introduced during two 30-second commercials in the first quarter of the Super Bowl. The ads cost the company several million dollars, but they were a great way to showcase the new beer, which hit the shelves Jan. 30 in translucent blue glass.

Whether or not the neat new glass color is just a gimmick is yet to be determined, but the Anheuser-Busch/InBev beer is different from other Bud offerings. Ringing in at 6 percent alcohol by volume, Bud Light Platinum beer packs a bit more of a punch than most popular American beers, like Bud Light, which is 4.2 percent alcohol, and Budweiser, which is 5 percent.

The beer is not very light on the waistline, however, as it contains 137 calories, shaving only 8 calories off the 145 calories in a regular Budweiser, according to the Washington Post, while regular Bud Light has 110 calories per beer. Bud Light Platinum beer also costs about $1.50 more than normal Bud Light per six-pack, the Post reported.

Anheuser-Busch described the beer as a trendy blue-bottle line extension that appeals to a key group of beer drinkers and expands consumer occasions, in its third-quarter earnings report. Online, it describes Bud Light Platinum beer as top-shelf taste.

But what do the people think?

The drinkers who taste-test brews and post their impressions at Beer Advocate have given the beer an average rating of 64, or poor, but the opinions on that site range from appalled to enthralled.

Beer Advocate reviewer Jason was closer to the appalled end of that spectrum, giving it a 2.5 out of 5:

It's basically a light malt liquor. Lacking any real malt flavor and the cloying character it less resembles a beer and more of a very watered down cheap whiskey, he wrote. There are clearly better light beers out there if you are into that. Now we all just have to wait for the half dozen fruit varieties that will follow if it is does well.

But Beer Advocate reviewer BlackLabel67k was much kinder, giving Bud Light Platinum a 3.53 out of 5:

This is a nice light beer that shouldn't be reviewed as a craft beer or expected to be something it is not. Too many biased reviews on here for this beer, BlackLabel67k wrote. I enjoyed it and I'll probably buy it again. Will I put it on my next beer list? nah, not for awhile. But I'm sure someday I'll want something light and refreshing, and it'll be this.

Reid Ramsay of the Beer Street Journal was one of the first people to review the beer, doing so about a month before the Super Bowl spots ran. He wrote that Bud Light Platinum, in comparison to Bud Light, is a little sweeter for sure. The flavor has everything in common with the regular Bud Light. To be perfectly honest, without a regular Bud Light to try side by side it's hard to discern the flavor variation. And no, the higher alcohol is not detectable.

Ramsay goes on to explain that the beer is by no means a top-notch craft IPA or flavor-filled stout, but that it is good for what people will drink it for: getting a quick, easy-to-drink buzz while attending an event or watching sports:

The beer geeks will tear this to shreds for sure. However they aren't the market for this beer so its of no consequence, he wrote. I can totally see this selling well at nightclubs, golf courses, etc. First thing that comes to mind for me is the benefit of the higher alcohol content. When you're drinking at sporting events at $8-$10 a pop, the 6% gives you a bigger bang for the buck.

The folks at Keg Works also got to take an early stab at taste-testing the beer, and they seemed to be have a pleasant experience, though they wrote that the blue glass and label reminds them of Zima, and that its main selling point is its 6% ABV. Read what they wrote:

We've determined that this upcoming Super Bowl commercial star is drinkable and it does have more of a flavor profile than the Buds that have come before it, they wrote. Loyal macro drinkers and college kids will probably buy into it but if the folks at Anheuser-Busch are aiming to lure part of the craft market back, this beer probably isn't going to do it. Then again, as we touched on before, it's unlikely any beer could.

And industry analyst David Bump Williams told the Washington Post that he's skeptical about Bud Light Platinum Beer.

Bud Light with 6 percent alcohol by volume and a sweet taste is an oxymoron in my mind, Williams noted. It's not drinkable, and it's certainly not going to attract spirits shoppers over to beer as planned. Its taste is not for Bud Light drinkers, so I'm expecting a lot of product on the shelves with very little repeat purchases at the super-premium price point. It's better than Bud Light Golden Wheat, but that's a very low base.

But what really matters, in the end, is whether or not you like it. If you want to know how good Bud Light Platinum really is, go grab a sixer and taste-test it yourself.

Watch Keg Works taste test the new Bud Light Platinum beer in the video below: