Those infamous beer guts may be a thing of the past if a new product from Anheuser-Busch sells well.

The company will be releasing a new product, Michelob Ultra, later this month. The new beer is low in carbohydrates and could be of particular interest to health-conscious college students.

“Michelob Ultra is a smooth, refreshing lager with 96 calories, 4.1 percent alcohol by volume and 2.9 grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce serving,” according to Anheuser-Busch’s Web site (www.anheuserbusch.com).

Light beers such as Bud Light can have up to 6.6 grams of carbohydrates per serving, so the difference is significant with Michelob Ultra having 3.7 fewer grams of carbohydrates.

Fred Lande, employee at Cyclone Liquors, 626 Lincoln Way, said he just heard about Michelob Ultra last week. Lande had a chance to sample the beer. His verdict was “not too bad.”

As for the taste, Lande said the beer had a lot of flavor.

“Although I usually drink Michelob Light anyway,” he said.

Mark Love, associate professor in food science and human nutrition, said he doesn’t know if there will be a benefit to drinking the low-carbohydrate, low-calorie beer.

“[There is a] movement in the marketplace for people to move toward foods that are in line with the Atkins [low-carbohydrate] diet,” he said. “That’s the rage diet that’s out there right now.”

Love said he didn’t know if drinking Michelob Ultra would be any better than drinking another light beer because consumers still need to be concerned about the alcohol content.

Luke Furnas, owner of Big Shots, said he thinks college students will buy the beer. Furnas said Big Shots will run a special on the beer when it arrives on Sept. 30.

Lande said he’s not sure how Michelob Ultra will be received by the public because consumers haven’t received much information about it.

Michelob Ultra hit the shelves in selected test markets last December. Consumer demand in the test markets greatly exceeded all expectations, according to the Anheuser-Busch Web site.

When light beer became popular because of the reduced calorie content, Love said it made people feel like they could drink two beers instead of one.

“[Michelob Ultra] might be popular with college students,” he said. “Now students will think they can have four. You can get drunk without all the calories.”

Love, who called beer an “attitude adjustment beverage,” said he believes each specific brand’s popularity is just a matter of product placement.

At Cyclone Liquors, Lande said product placement won’t be a large factor.

“We’ll have it on hand,” he said, “but we won’t specifically be pushing the new product.”

Michelob Ultra will be sold in six-pack and 12-pack bottles and should be available in the Ames area at the end of September.