This morning was a big day at AB InBev. The international beverage giant announced its first zero carb beer launch, Bud Light NEXT. It also revealed its intention to destroy the environment by participating in a massive NFT sale. We would expect nothing less from a company like AB InBev. Its sustainability goals are highlightedAfter all, why not reverse any progress you might have made with the sale more than 12,000 NFTs? A number that is likely to cause you significant financial losses. End result: carbon emissionsSimilar to a small country? Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to participate in an area that artists have called an ecological nightmare scheme? To me, everything about that phrase screams AB InBev.
But I am getting ahead of myself. There is a beer that I want to talk about here, and it should not be overlooked by AB InBevs eagerness to participate in an ecological disaster caused by tech. Bud Light NEXT was almost 10 years in the making and is the company’s first zero carb beer. According to the company, this beer is the result a brewing breakthrough that made impossible things possible. You know, it’s a bit overpriced. The beer, as seen above, has 80 calories, 4% ABV and zero carbs. The company claims it is aimed at consumers who long wanted a beer that broke the barriers of traditional lagers and offered the stats and sessionability of a seltzer. It doesn’t sound like a gimmick.
The funny thing about a product such as this is that it’s launched to make it seem like an original idea, but in reality the only thing that makes it stand out is the absence of carbs. AB InBev already makes several beers that can compete with Bud Light NEXT, including some that are lower in calories and/or ABV. Example:
Bud Light NEXT: 80 calories, 4% ABV, 0 grams carbs
Michelob Ultra: 90 calories, 4.2% ABV, 2.6 g carbs
Bud Select 55: 55 calories, 2.5% ABV, 1.9 g carbs
Bud Zero: 50 calories, 0% ABV, 11.5 g carbs
Bud Light NEXT is, in essence, just another combination of familiar elements. The only new consumer it would reach is someone who believes they are. Avoid even one carb at all cost. We can only conclude that the beer will likely be very dry on the palate and even more bland than Michelob Ultra, if this is possible.
Bud Light NEXT is the new face for NFT carbon emissions.
Now that we have moved on to the beer, we can discuss the fact that AB InBev doesn’t care about the ongoing climate crisis. They launched the Bud Light N3XT Collection, which includes no less than 12,722 non-fungible tokens. They will be selling these tokens at a low, low $399 per token. This will give the sale a net of around $5 million directly into AB InBev’s coffers. The company didn’t even manage to deflect criticism by promising to donate a portion of proceeds to charity or some other trick that would make them appear unabashedly greedy. Don’t worry: The NFTs were designed with color cues by Bud Light NEXT, and celebrate the passion points 21+ consumers. This should help to offset the metric tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere by the enormous electrical power required for these NFT sales transactions.
Take a look at the FAQs for the Bud Light N3XT Collection website,AB InBev will eventually give you a hollow promise. It says that they hope the project will be 100% climate neutral. However, they don’t define what climate neutral is or how it would be achieved. You can rest assured, folks. We are in AB InBevs control now. When have they ever led anyone astray.
