Athletic Brewing and the NA Beer Revolution | Is NA Here to Stay?
4/23/202643 min
When Athletic hit the shelves in 2017, it proved to naysayers that you can have a non-alcoholic beer without sacrificing on taste. Dare we say, it even gave NA brews a certain cool-factor. Athletic helped kick off an NA craze that’s seen more and more alcohol-free beers, botanicals and mocktails infusing beverage menus. But does the trend have staying power? Kate Bernot is a food and beverage reporter and analyst with Feel Goods Insights. Kate’s covered the beer industry for Bon Appetit, The Washington Post, VinePair, and more. She’ll tap into how to make a great NA brew...
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First 90 secondsDavid Brown· Host0:00
Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. [instrumental music] From Audible Originals, I'm David Brown, and this is Business Wars. [instrumental music] Back in the day, non-alcoholic beers had, uh, let's call it a stigma. Sour and skunky or bland at best, it was hard to see why anyone would voluntarily opt for a can of NA suds unless they were strictly sober. And even then, why settle for the decaf of beers over any number of other non-alcoholic beverages? I'm thinking a Shirley Temple perhaps, or a soda water with lime for a healthier option. But all that changed when founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker brought Athletic Brewing to market in 2017. All of a sudden, the narrative surrounding NA beers turned on its head, and you no longer had to choose between enjoying an authentic craft brew and a sober, or at least less alcohol-infused, lifestyle. These days, more and more non-alcohol beers, wines, and botanicals seem to be hitting the shelves every week.