Images provided by Athletic Brewing.
Brewing Location
Athletic Brewing owns and operates two fully-dedicated facilities. Our state-of-the-art bicoastal breweries are in our home state of Connecticut and sunny southern California. Tap House 350 Long Beach Blvd. Stratford, CT 06615 Milford, CT 75 Cascade Blvd. Milford, CT 06460 Website athleticbrewing.com |
John Walker, Co-Founder & Chief Product OfficerWebsite
athleticbrewing.com Hawaii Distributor Odom Corporation |
Leading The Way: Athletic Brewing is Revolutionizing Non-Alcoholic Beer
Capitalizing on increasing consumer desire to drink less alcohol, Athletic Brewing Company has quickly become America’s top non-alcoholic craft brewer.
Less than five years old, Athletic owns and operates two custom breweries, including the world’s largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewery in Milford, Connecticut. Since its launch in 2018, with a production of just 875 barrels of beer, the company has grown to produce more than 100,000 barrels of non-alcoholic beer in 2021. This production output makes Athletic Brewing a top 20 U.S. craft brewer, according to NielsenIQ, and the third-largest non-alcoholic beer brand in America – behind Heineken 0.0 and Bud Zero
Get to know more about Athletic Brewing in the Q&A below.
Founding story
Where did the idea for Athletic Brewing come from?
The idea for Athletic Brewing authentically emerged from co-founder Bill Shufelt’s lifestyle. In 2012, Shufelt realized alcohol was holding him back from achieving his personal and professional goals, so he left it behind for good. However, he still loved socializing with friends and family and pairing great brews with delicious meals.
When Shufelt stopped drinking, he was surprised to learn that nobody had taken the time to develop a line of full-flavored, non-alcoholic craft beers for the 60% of Americans who drink less than one time per week. So, he set out to change that by creating a company focused on crafting delicious adult non-alcoholic beverages that didn’t compromise on taste or quality and teamed up with John Walker in 2017 to help turn his idea into a reality.
How did Bill and John meet?
After Shufelt quit his job at one of the world’s largest hedge funds, he drafted a business plan and began searching for a business partner. However, he had trouble convincing anyone to join him on his entrepreneurial journey. Phone messages went unreturned, and skeptics told Shufelt to save his money because they thought there was no market for non-alcoholic beer in the United States. John Walker, who at the time was serving as an award-winning head brewer at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, responded to Bill’s ad on an industry message board.
According to Shufelt, Walker had one of the best resumes and was the most widely accomplished brewer he’d encountered. Walker, inspired by Shufelt’s passion for the project and a desire for a challenge, agreed to relocate to Connecticut to launch Athletic Brewing. In 2017 Athletic Brewing was officially formed
When did Athletic release its first beers?
Athletic Brewing opened the first dedicated non-alcoholic brewery and taproom in the U.S. and released its first brews in May of 2018. The company launched retail distribution the following month and counts Whole Foods as one of its first customers.
Capitalizing on increasing consumer desire to drink less alcohol, Athletic Brewing Company has quickly become America’s top non-alcoholic craft brewer.
Less than five years old, Athletic owns and operates two custom breweries, including the world’s largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewery in Milford, Connecticut. Since its launch in 2018, with a production of just 875 barrels of beer, the company has grown to produce more than 100,000 barrels of non-alcoholic beer in 2021. This production output makes Athletic Brewing a top 20 U.S. craft brewer, according to NielsenIQ, and the third-largest non-alcoholic beer brand in America – behind Heineken 0.0 and Bud Zero
Get to know more about Athletic Brewing in the Q&A below.
Founding story
Where did the idea for Athletic Brewing come from?
The idea for Athletic Brewing authentically emerged from co-founder Bill Shufelt’s lifestyle. In 2012, Shufelt realized alcohol was holding him back from achieving his personal and professional goals, so he left it behind for good. However, he still loved socializing with friends and family and pairing great brews with delicious meals.
When Shufelt stopped drinking, he was surprised to learn that nobody had taken the time to develop a line of full-flavored, non-alcoholic craft beers for the 60% of Americans who drink less than one time per week. So, he set out to change that by creating a company focused on crafting delicious adult non-alcoholic beverages that didn’t compromise on taste or quality and teamed up with John Walker in 2017 to help turn his idea into a reality.
How did Bill and John meet?
After Shufelt quit his job at one of the world’s largest hedge funds, he drafted a business plan and began searching for a business partner. However, he had trouble convincing anyone to join him on his entrepreneurial journey. Phone messages went unreturned, and skeptics told Shufelt to save his money because they thought there was no market for non-alcoholic beer in the United States. John Walker, who at the time was serving as an award-winning head brewer at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, responded to Bill’s ad on an industry message board.
According to Shufelt, Walker had one of the best resumes and was the most widely accomplished brewer he’d encountered. Walker, inspired by Shufelt’s passion for the project and a desire for a challenge, agreed to relocate to Connecticut to launch Athletic Brewing. In 2017 Athletic Brewing was officially formed
When did Athletic release its first beers?
Athletic Brewing opened the first dedicated non-alcoholic brewery and taproom in the U.S. and released its first brews in May of 2018. The company launched retail distribution the following month and counts Whole Foods as one of its first customers.
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Does Athletic Brewing have any investors?
Athletic Brewing has raised $173.5 million across five fundraising rounds. Shufelt pitched over 120 investors to raise his initial $3 million seed round, that round included over 60 angel investors. Since, that initial seed round, Athletic has raised over $170 million from a variety of investors, including Keurig, Dr. Pepper, TRB Advisors, Alliance Consumer Growth, and Tastemaker Capital. Celebrities J.J. Watt, Lance Armstrong, Justin Tuck, Darren Rovell, Blake Mycoskie, David Chang, and Karlie Kloss have also invested. Approach to Beer How did Athletic develop its brewing process? Over the span of about nine months, Shufelt and Walker brewed over 100 different test batches on homebrew equipment to perfect their proprietary process. Their theory? If great-tasting non-alcoholic craft beer could be made using the existing methods of alcohol removal, somebody would have already done it. They wanted to completely reimagine the brewing process. These tests resulted in the development of a proprietary brewing technique that undergoes a full fermentation but by close monitoring and adjusting variables like temperature that ultimately produces a product that contains less than 0.5% ABV. This process allows Athletic to fully ferment its brews to be less than the legal limit for non-alcoholic beer in the United States and deliver a great-tasting alternative to full-strength offerings that can be sold anywhere. Other Insights Where are Athletic brews sold? Athletic beers are available in all 50 U.S. states, Australia, Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe. Because it is non-alcoholic, Athletic beer can be sold in places where full-strength beer doesn’t typically go – like coffee shops and cafes. The company currently sells its beer at 49,000 retail locations. Has Athletic Brewing won any awards for its brews? Athletic Brewing is the most decorated non-alcoholic craft brewer in the world. Its beers have won dozens of prestigious brewing awards, including Gold & Silver for its Run Wild and Free Wave IPAs in the 2022 US Open of Beer Championship. It was also named the North American Brewer of the Year at the 2022 International Beer Challenge. In addition to awards for its brews, Athletic was named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential Companies” in 2022 and featured on Fortune’s “Change the World” list. Athletic was also selected as one of Ad Age's Top 20 Hottest Brands of 2022 and VinePair’s 2022 Brewery of the Year. In 2021, Athletic was named Brewbound’s Craft Brewery of the Year and appeared on Fast Company's “Brands That Matter” list in 2021. How popular are Athletic brews? Athletic Brewing ranked as the 26th fastest-growing private company in America in 2022, according to Inc. Magazine, and its revenue grew more than 13,000% between 2018 and 2021. In 2022, sales grew over 100%, outpacing the overall non-alcoholic category growth of 20%. Athletic brews are also regularly featured on “Best Of” lists, and Athletic was most recently recognized by Food Network, GQ, The Boston Globe, Healthline, and Gear Patrol, among others. |
What is Athletic Brewing’s mission?
Athletic Brewing exists not only to produce great-tasting non-alcoholic beer but also to positively impact the world at large. Its mission statement is to positively impact its customers’ health, fitness, and happiness while greatly impacting communities and the environment for the better. By including the 60% of adults who don't regularly consume alcohol in everyday social occasions, and by making moderation both accessible and aspirational, Athletic believes it can make a huge positive impact on tens of millions of people’s lives. Athletic donates 2% of all sales to protecting and restoring outdoor spaces across the globe via its Two For The Trails program. Plus, as a part of its IMPACT Program, 1% of revenue goes to non-profit organizations that support positive impact and opportunity from the ground up. As of 2022, Athletic Brewing is proudly a Certified B Corporation™, which means it is a business that meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. What else should I know about Athletic Brewing and the non-alcoholic beer category? • Athletic Brewing owns over 50% of the craft non-alcoholic beer segment and is driving 40% of the growth. • The non-alcoholic craft beer segment is the fastest-growing category in beer and has been for four straight years. • The non-alcoholic beer category is growing double-digit, and Athletic grew over 100% in 2022. • Athletic Brewing produced more beer in 2022 than it did in the previous four years combined. • Global non-alcoholic beer sales totaled $16.65 billion in 2021. • Worldwide NA beer sales are forecasted to surpass $23.2 billion by 2025. • According to IWSR, non-alcoholic beer will contribute nearly 70% of the overall growth in the “low and no alcohol” category between 2022 and 2026. • Non-alcoholic beer accounts for roughly 2% of beer sales at U.S. food stores, but it is poised to grow significantly in the coming years. At a leading national retailer, non-alcoholic beer makes up over 8% of overall beer sales. For additional inisight into Athletic Brewing, listen to their podcast 'Without Compromise' which can be found on Apple, Google and Spotify as well as at: athleticbrewing.com/blogs/podcast 
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UPSIDE DAWN
•Style: Golden •Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Oats, Hops, Wheat, Yeast. •ABV: Less Than 0.5% •Calories: 45 Description Developed to be refreshing, clean, and balanced, Upside Dawn is a light-bodied golden brewed with premium Vienna malt along with a combo of English and American hops. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/products/upside-dawn •https://youtu.be/dQsVRMRdB6s 
FREE WAVE
• Style: Hazy IPA • Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Wheat, Hops, Yeast. • ABV: Less Than 0.5% • Calories: 70 Description Free Wave Hazy IPA is meant for the open road. Whether you’re cruising on a longboard or tracing your way up the coast on your bike, Free Wave doesn’t cut corners. This IPA is loaded with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/blogs/news/it-s-looking-hazy-around-here •https://youtu.be/oD6mLt1aq5c 
CERVEZA ATLETICA
• Style: Mexican-inspired Light Copper • Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Wheat, Hops, Yeast. • ABV: Less Than 0.5% • Calories: 60 Description Cerveza Atletica is a Mexican-inspired Light Copper, made with summertime refreshment in mind. A blend of premium Vienna and Munich malts were developed to provide a rich copper hue with an aroma and flavor of delicate bread crust that are balanced with light spicy and floral notes from the noble hop, German Hersbrucker. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/products/cerveza-atletica •https://youtu.be/jVmW8RJ99EY |
While Athletic Brewing brewed over 70 different recipes in 2022, the majority of those were small batches and only available on its website. The company’s core offerings – Run Wild IPA, Upside Dawn Golden, Athletic Lite, Free Wave Hazy IPA, and Cerveza Atletica – account for the majority of the beer sold.
RUN WILD
•Style: IPA • Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Oats, Hops, Wheat, Yeast. • ABV: Less Than 0.5% • Calories: 65 Description Run Wild was developed to be the ultimate sessionable IPA for craft beer lovers. It is brewed with a blend of five Northwest hops, to have an approachable bitterness which balances the specialty malt body. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/products/run-wild •https://youtu.be/mWi99IrMKU4 
ATHLETIC LITE
• Style: IPA • Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Oats, Hops, Wheat, Yeast. • ABV: Less Than 0.5% • Calories: 25 Description Athletic Lite was developed as your everyday brew – refreshing, low on carbs, and low on calories. It's meant to be classically simple yet expertly crafted, with a crisp, dry finish. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/products/athletic-lite •https://youtu.be/25yI6VK1ouwV 
ALL OUT
• Style: Extra Dark • Ingredients: Water, Organic Vienna Malt, Malted Barley, Oats, Wheat, Hops, Yeast. • ABV: Less Than 0.5% • Calories: 90 Description All Out was built for cold weather. It’s recommended to enjoy All Out by the fire after a long day on the slopes. Expect a full-bodied mouthfeel and a pleasantly roasty finish, as well as delicate coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes. For more insight •athleticbrewing.com/collections/beer/products/all-out •https://youtu.be/6VqMH_SHCng |
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