Athletic Brewing Co. Pushes Non-Alc Beers Past Old Stigmas
Athletic Brewing co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt started his session at The WSJ Global Food Forum on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, saying that it was great to see younger and younger audiences seeking non-alcoholic beers, given that even 10 years ago, non-alc beers were an afterthought and typically not easy to find.
Shufelt said that non-alc beers have a really rough history, dating back to when Prohibition was repealed and much hadn’t changed in terms of quality and innovation that 80-something years. Athletic has been working to change that, and he said that the stigma of non-alc being just some watered-down beer-like beverage for designated drivers and those who couldn’t consume alcohol has mostly disappeared today. It’s no longer a “penalty box” product, he said.
More WSJ Global Food Forum Coverage
The proliferation of food and beverage information available digitally, as well as the quality of the products and better marketing around them have helped, and young consumers have responded. When asked how big the non-alc beer market could actually get, Shufelt said he might be the wrong person to ask because he’s “delusionally optimistic” — but then referred back to his pitch to angel investors years ago for Athletic Brewing, when he pointed to other global markets (like Spain and Germany) where non-alc made up 10-12% of the beer market, a number that could be reached in the U.S. in the space of one generation.
After eight years in business, Athletic has produced a million barrels of non-alcoholic beer, and it is often the No. 1 beer sold at some high-end natural grocers, Shufelt said. However, convenience stores and gas stations represent a significant void that the moderator asked about, and he acknowledged that channel presents a large opportunity for the brewer.
Moving forward, Athletic will continue to promote consumption of non-alc beer, particularly during occasions where alcohol is prohibited or discouraged. He joked (possibly) that his favorite beverage of the day was his “commute beer,” which garnered a few laughs and seemed to temporarily disarm the moderator a bit at the idea of drinking a beer (again, non-alcoholic) while driving. Shufelt said he could easily see consumers drinking a non-alcoholic beer 3-5 times a day — and not have any aftereffects from alcohol, since there’s none present.
Athletic’s marketing team has “so much fun stuff” in the works, and the product innovation pipeline is constantly running. Shufelt says the company launches 50 items every year on its web site and gets almost immediate feedback. Right now, he highlighted a lime and salt variant of a lager as an example of something online now that was getting instant feedback.
The company is focused on romancing the flavors and styles of their beers rather than focusing on the lack of alcohol, when it comes to marketing the product to potential consumers — and they want to be in the conversation in the same venues as alcoholic beers, so that consumers who maybe aren’t as interested in the alcohol intake can still have a beer that meets their quality and flavor standards. He pointed out college towns and campuses as potential opportunities — and when asked, mentioned that the company has seen no evidence that drinking non-alc beers provides a gateway to transition to alcoholic beer consumption or preference.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.