Table of Contents
About Athletic Brewing
Athletic Brewing makes non-alcoholic beer you’ll actually want to drink. Brewed with all the same simple ingredients that go into regular beer, its organic 0.5% ABV ales are full of flavor and taste just like the real thing.
Buzzworthy media outlets like Thrillist, BBC, Bloomberg, and Outside have all featured the brand, astounded by the taste of its craft beer and recommending it for those looking to cut back. Its popularity is further shown by the 100k+ followers it has accumulated across Instagram and Facebook.
Want to find out if this non-alcoholic beer is all it’s hyped up to be? Keep reading this Athletic Brewing review. Here, we’ll tell you all about the brand and its refreshing craft beers, fill you in on customer feedback, answer important FAQs, and more.
Overview of Athletic Brewing
Not every day calls for alcohol, nor is drinking beer always about getting a buzz. Cracking open a cold brew after a long day is an age-old comfort that has as much to do with the taste and texture as it does the whole body relaxation that follows.
But we’re not all cut out for that feeling, at least not every day. Yet, reaching for a beer is instinctive, the taste a part of a daily ritual we look forward to.
Whether you avoid alcohol altogether, have a big race the next day, or simply want to replace your weekly drinking habits with something a little less hangover-inducing, Athletic Brewing has your back.
Founded by John Walker and Bill Shufelt in 2018, the Connecticut-based brand was created to offer an alternative to the stale options on the market that labeled themselves as non-alcoholic beer. It turns out that though there were a few options hanging around, all of them used outdated technologies that totally stripped beer of its flavor along with its alcohol content.
Setting out to create a unique brewing method, the folks at Athletic Brewing took two years to find the right process and landed on a winner. The product? Crisp, refreshing, fermented beer with 0.5% ABV.
Ready to find out more? This Athletic Brewing review will get to the brand’s tasty beers in just a few scrolls. Before we get there, have a peek at the highlights to get a feel for what’s in store.
Pros
- 10 different NA beer types
- 0.5% ABV
- Subscribe to save up to 15%
- Free shipping on orders with two or more 6-packs
- Ships to the US & Canada
Cons
- Limited shipping locations
This brand doesn’t just deal in beer, it makes hops-infused sparkling water and merch too. In the next section of this Athletic Brewing review, we’ll save the water for another day and instead focus on the brand’s beers.
Athletic Brewing Beer Review
The brand offers five different craft beer types, alongside four other limited availability brews. In the sections below, this Athletic Brewing review will introduce you to its four best-selling booze-free ales, all sold in $13 6-packs of 12 oz cans, and all under 90 calories.
Athletic Brewing Run Wild Ipa Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack Review
If you love an IPA, the Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack is made to please—and actually tastes like the thing it’s called. Known to carry a somewhat fruity flavor, this ale is made with five different Northwest hops giving it a bitterness that lingers and levels out the sweet nuttiness of the malt.
Fire up the BBQ mid-week and grab a couple of brews without having to think twice about the dreaded headache tomorrow morning, or the 450 calories from three little beers—these ones have just 70 calories a pop.
Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn Golden Ale Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack Review
A light golden ale for afternoons in the sun. The Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn Golden Ale Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack is perfect for a day at the beach or times when you need a quick pick-me-up.
With refreshing guzzling quality, this ale combines bright floral notes with earthy flavors to offer a balanced brew. This golden ale blends English and American hops for a unique taste and has been brewed to rid it of any gluten.
At just 50 calories a can, drinking a 6-pack is no longer a point of shame. Want to stay on the light trip? Try out the Athletic Brewing Cerveza Atletica Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack too.
Athletic Brewing Free Wave Hazy Ipa Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack Review
The Athletic Brewing Free Wave Hazy IPA Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack is said to be great for road trips. We take that to mean two things. One, you can actually drink this while driving, and two, this beer is all about the wind in your hair and exploring new possibilities.
Packed with the robust flavors of Amarillo, Mosaic, and Citra hops, this road-friendly IPA was made to please. If you’re looking for something with a little more flavor and just 70 calories per can, this may be your new go-to.
Athletic Brewing All Out Stout Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack Review
Stouts are full-bodied, known for their flavor depths and balanced bitterness. The Athletic Brewing All Out Stout Non-Alcoholic 6-Pack melds the richness of coffee with the tantalizing bitterness of dark chocolate.
A fuller-flavored beer, it pairs well with fireside toasted nuts or beef dishes like stew or juicy burgers. Light in feeling but heavy in taste, this stout clocks in at 90 calories per can.
Athletic Brewing Variety Case Review
New to Athletic Brewing? Try out a Variety Case. You’ll get a 6-pack of the brand’s four top-selling beers:
- Run Wild IPA
- Upside Dawn Golden Ale
- Free Wave Hazy IPA
- All Out Stout
Throw them on ice, head out to the lake, and enjoy a day spent with refreshing brews and no alcohol. And since this Athletic Brewing Variety Case has more than two 6-packs, it ships for free. Double win. Add it to your cart for $50 (a $52 value).
Athletic Brewing The Athletic Club Subscription Review
Non-alcoholic beer has many purposes, but at the end of the day, this type just tastes good. To stay stocked up, Athletic Brewing offers a subscription that sends you 12, 18, or 24 of your favorite brews every month.
Subscribing comes with all kinds of perks like the ability to mix and match 6-packs, early access to new beer and merch launches, and discounts of up to 15% on beer and other products.
Not big on committing? You can pause, modify, skip, or cancel whenever. If you’re interested in subscribing, just hit Join the Athletic Brewing The Athletic Club Subscription on any of the beer’s pages. There’s no fee to join, just savings for you.
Athletic Brewing Stork Gift Subscription Review
If there’s anyone who needs a cold beer, it’s a parent. The Athletic Brewing Stork Gift Subscription sends hardworking parents nine months of non-alcoholic beer so they can revel in the quiet moments and still be ready when they’re quickly over.
Each month your friends will get a 6-pack of whichever beer they prefer, along with a couple of gifts for them and their new little one.
To buy, you’ll just add the subscription to your cart, pay for it, then receive an email with a gift code. You’ll just need to send this code to the new parents and they can choose their beers and schedule their deliveries.
Give the gift of beer with the Stork Gift Subscription for $200.
Who Is Athletic Brewing For?
Athletic Brewing is a non-alcoholic beer, but it still contains 0.5% ABV. Because of that, it may not be suitable for pregnant women, but if you’re unsure, ask a medical professional.
With that said, the brand’s beers don’t contain enough alcohol to get you drunk. The website states that you’d have to drink eight NA beers in 5 minutes to get the same buzz one alcoholic beer would give you—meaning these beers are to be enjoyed for their taste alone.
In some countries, NA beer is regarded as safe for those under 19. But laws vary, so be sure to stay on top of your state’s regulations before giving it to minors.
How Is Athletic Brewing Made?
During this Athletic Beer review, we learned that this NA beer is made just like alcoholic craft beer is, with about 12 modifications. Before the guys behind the brand started brewing, they decided to steer clear of traditional non-alcoholic brewing methods.
Instead, they’ve taken out de-alcoholizing equipment and added a few different natural elements to do the work instead.
Is Athletic Brewing Healthy For You?
Let’s take a look at what’s actually in Athletic Brewing Beer. Its ingredients are simple, just water, barley, organic Vienna malt, hops, and yeast.
The brand says that these ingredients are actually antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, and they contain a spectrum of nutrients like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Without the dehydrating nature of alcohol in the brand’s brews, they’re great hydrators since they contain the above three electrolytes.
In terms of calories, a regular can of beer is around 160, and Athletic Brewing beers clock in at 50-90 calories, meaning you can have four if you really want and still stay on track. Everyone is different though, so if you have specific questions, get in touch with your MD.
Athletic Brewing Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
If you’re reading this Athletic Brewing review, there’s a good chance you’ve slugged down a few beers in your day, some of which have probably been non-alcoholic. That means you’ve had the best of both worlds, only the best of NA beer doesn’t always seem that way, does it?
In this section, we’ve rounded up feedback from around the web to help us all understand what the brand’s beers taste like and how they compare to their alcoholic cronies.
To kick things off, we’ll start with a few ratings taken from athleticbrewing.com.
- Run Wild IPA: 5/5 stars from 142 reviews
- Upside Dawn Golden Ale: 5/5 stars from 63 reviews
- Free Wave Hazy IPA: 5/5 stars from 52 reviews
- Cerveza Atletica: 5/5 stars from 32 reviews
- All Out Stout: 5/5 stars from 27 reviews
All of its beers have perfect ratings, so it’s safe to say that they’re enjoyed by pretty much all of the people who bothered to leave an Athletic Brewing review on the brand’s website.
We took a closer look at the Upside Dawn Golden Ale to see what customers loved about it so much. It turns out it tastes pretty close to alcoholic beer (a true feat), and one customer said, “I am a fan of most golden ales and this one knocks it out of the park compared to most non-NA beers!”
That same review said it’s “refreshing and full of flavor”—and that’s saying something coming from someone who has a very picky palate.
To check in on the Run Wild IPA, we turned to a website called Beer Advocate that showed an 86% score for the brew. Out of the 58 customer comments, one Athletic Brewing review read, “It’s got the best balance of any NA IPA, and rivals some of the great standard-bearing IPAs for its palate of flavors.”
To compare a NA beer to an alcoholic version is pretty unheard of. The Run Wild IPA is perhaps the brand’s most popular beer and judging from the above review, rightly so.
For our final bit of insight, we turned to Amazon to look into the Upside Dawn Golden Ale. The ale has an overall rating of 4.6/5 stars from 155 buyers that breaks down like this:
- 5 stars: 77%
- 4 stars: 14%
- 3 stars: 3%
- 2 stars: 2%
- 1 star: 3%
The reviews are in and it looks like Upside Dawn is another winner. One Athletic Brewing review read, “doesn’t have that gross, sweet taste that most non-alcoholic beers have — it is just refreshing and beer-like, also it shipped very quickly.”
Non-alcoholic beer has had a bad reputation, but Athletic Brewing is out to change that for good. At the end of the day, alcohol or not, beer should taste like beer. We appreciate that this brand prioritizes taste and not just pumping out another watery, stale beverage.
Is Athletic Brewing Worth It?
In terms of taste and quality, Athletic Brewing knocks it out of the park. Its beer really tastes like beer, but not just any beer, a type that rivals some of the best out there. Its cost is standard for a 6-pack, its selection good, and its ingredients even better—we’re suckers for anything organic.
Athletic Brewing is something we could envision enjoying after work or on afternoons where getting buzzed isn’t ideal but having a cold, tasty beverage is.
Athletic Brewing Promotions & Discounts
There’s nothing like a cold beer after a hard day of work. During this Athletic Brewing review, we spotted a few ways the brand helps those hard-earned dollars go a little farther and packed them into a little list below for easy reference:
- Free shipping for two 6-packs or more
- Discover Daypack Contest: Win a daypack filled with Daypack seltzer
- Subscribe to save up to 15% off beer and merch
Where to Buy Athletic Brewing
Want a steady supply of beer without having to think much about it? Sign up for the subscription at AthleticBrewing.com.
You can also find Athletic Brewing in liquor stores across the US and in some restaurants. To find one near you, use the Store Locator tool—oh, and don’t worry, you can find some of its beers on Amazon too.
FAQ
Who owns Athletic Brewing?
John Walker and Bill Shufelt own Athletic Brewing. They founded the brand in 2018 after growing frustrated with the lack of NA beer options on the market that actually taste good.
Does Athletic Brewing ship internationally?
The brand ships within the US and to Canada only.
What is Athletic Brewing’s Shipping Policy?
Athletic Brewing ships within the USA and to Canada with a few exceptions for its beer due to state and province laws. A list of states the brand cannot ship to include:
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Kansas
- Idaho
- Nebraska
The only place in Canada that Athletic Brewing can’t ship to is Prince Edward Island.
Once you place your order, the brand usually gets it out of their warehouse in 1-2 business days. Shipping rates vary, but all orders that include two or more 6-packs will be shipped for free.
For US orders, Athletic Brewing offers three shipping options:
- Standard 2-7 business days
- Expedited 2-3 business days
- Same-Day & 2-Hour (only available in NY, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago)
What is Athletic Brewing’s Return Policy?
Athletic Brewing makes perishable products and usually, the norm with those types of products is that they’re non-refundable. But since this brand is all about making customers happy, if you receive or sip one of its brews and aren’t totally happy with your experience, hit them up and they’ll try to make it right.
How to Contact Athletic Brewing
Have questions not covered in this Athletic Brewing review? Shoot the brand an email at [email protected].
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