A New Survey Shows People Still Think There's Beer In Bud Light Seltzer

When you think of beer, you probably think of a couple names. Coors, Yuengling, Heineken, and of course, Bud Light. Ever since Bud Light debuted in 1982, it's been the staple of barrooms and basement refrigerators all across America. Statista tells us that Bud Light, along with Corona, has gone on to become one of America's most recognizable and popular beers. Needless to say, Anheuser-Busch has some weight to throw around in the beer industry.

Perhaps eager to flex its muscles again, Anheuser-Busch announced Bud Light Seltzer in 2019, a "hard seltzer" that would come in four flavors: black cherry, mango, lemon-lime, and strawberry. The spiked seltzer seemed to be a smash hit for the company, with Nielsen's Beverage Alcohol Practice Area vice president Danelle Kosmal telling CNN Business that the beverage had the speediest launch of any hard seltzer that came before. To further prove the success of Bud Light Seltzer, in October 2022, Anheuser-Busch released a sour version of the seltzer, alongside announcing its own brand of "hard sodas" that would be coming soon. It seems that, as long as it has Bud Light on it, people will drink it — and that's just what the company likes to hear. 

While Anheuser-Busch no doubt hit the mark when it came to marketing seltzer, there's just one problem: people seem to think that Bud Light Seltzer contains beer. 

According to CNN Business, more than a few people seem to think that Bud Light Seltzer has beer in it — and by a few people, we mean somewhere around more than a few thousand people. Bud Light Seltzer even ran a survey to see if people believed the drink had any sort of beer in it all and discovered that over half of the thousands polled believed it did. But before you point and laugh at the idea of someone thinking the carbonated beverage contains beer, it's easy to see where they can get that idea. It's called Bud Light Seltzer after all, so, at first glance, you could think that the seltzer has beer in it. Why would Anheuser-Busch call it Bud Light if it doesn't contain any Bud Light?

Recall what we said earlier: As long as it has Bud Light on it, people will drink it. They're a popular brand — something recognizable and trustworthy. As Bud Light Extensions vice president of marketing Steve Wolf explained to CNN, the company hoped that the popularity and familiarity of Bud Light's logo would help draw customers in. While Bud Light Seltzer doesn't have any Bud Light beer in it, the seltzers do contain alcohol at a 5% ABV— enough to give customers a "buzz" while still being refreshing. Time will tell, however, if Anheuser-Busch will meet customer demands and make a fruit-flavored beer.