Athletic Brewing Company Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer Review with Tasting Notes

non alcoholic beer in the sand on a beach

If you’re looking for a delicious and healthy non-alcoholic craft beer, Athletic Brewing Company is the perfect choice. Their beers are vegan, non-GMO and are made with all natural ingredients. In this review, we’ll take a look at some of their most popular brews and give some tasting notes. I think you’ll find that Athletic Brewing Company offers some of the best non-alcoholic craft beers on the market!

Bottom line: You’ll want to keep a pack of Run Wild IPA in your fridge. It’s bitter but balanced, refreshing, and just plain good. A great tasting beer!

Athletic Brewing Company was founded with a dedication to making great beer, not just great non-alcoholic beer. That dedication, coupled with the desire for a healthier option, led founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker to start an innovative lineup of craft beers.

How non-alcoholic beer is made: Athletic Brewing Company makes their non-alcoholic beer just like craft beer. The major difference is that they monitor the temperature and other variables during the brew process to keep alcohol levels very low.

Here are all the alcohol free beers reviewed in this article (click name to jump to detailed reviews):

  1. Run Wild IPA
  2. Upside Dawn Golden Ale
  3. Free Wave Hazy IPA
  4. Cerveza Athletica
  5. All Out Extra Dark

Of all the categories of non-alcoholic beverage products, non alcoholic beers stand out as a great option for a ready to drink beverage. The bubbles, the complexity and the bitterness combine to make a very refreshing flavor.

Ingredients in Athletic Brewing Non Alcoholic Beer

Athletic Brewing uses traditional ingredients in their craft beer. In general, they could include some or all of these ingredients: water, organic Vienna malt, malted barley, oats, hops, wheat, and yeast.

The type and amount of hops or malt used in their beers varies, giving them each a unique character.  Here is the lineup:

Athletic Brewing Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer

Run Wild IPA

The Athletic Brewing Company IPA is brewed with a mix of five Northwest hops and has a great balance of bitterness to malt. This medium bodied beer is very refreshing. Run Wild IPA is not just for dry January – you will want to keep some around.

Per 12oz can: 35IBU, 70 calories, 16g carbs, 0g Fat

Check price for Run Wild IPA

Upside Dawn Golden Ale

Upside Dawn is light-bodied, clean, and crafted to remove gluten. Subtle scents are floral and earthy. Athletic Brewing used Vienna Malt and a combination of English and traditional American hops to craft this classic Golden Ale style beer.

A note from Athletic Brewing: “Upside Dawn is crafted to remove gluten. This product is fermented from grains containing gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.”

Per 12oz can: 15 IBU, 50 calories, 12g carbs, 0g Fat

Free Wave Hazy IPA

Free Wave is full-bodied, but is balanced by the extra hops used: Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops. It’s has depth, but with nice fruit and citrus notes typical with Hazy IPAs.

Per 12oz can: 55 IBU, 17 calories, 16g carbs, 0g Fat

Cerveza Athletica Light Copper

Cerveza Athletica is a blend of Premium Vienna and Munich malts, crafted in the style of a Light Copper beer.  Cerveza has a light spicy character, balanced with aromas of bread crust and floral notes from the noble hop, German Hersbrucker.

This Mexican inspired beer is crisp and dry – that nice cold beer you’ll want to have in summer.

Per 12oz can: 15 IBU, 60 calories, 15g carbs, 1g Protein, 0g Fat

All Out Extra Dark

All Out Dark is a full-bodied beer with a hefty mouthfeel and roasty finish, You’ll probably notice notes of coffee and chocolate too. It’s a dark and hearty beer, but complex in flavor. This is for sweater weather folks – save this for your winter stews and chili night.

Per 12oz can: 15 IBU, 90 calories, 21g carbs, 1g Protein, 0g Fat

Limited Release Beers

In addition to the staple collection of beers listed above, Athletic Brewing Company offers some limited release beers as they continuously experiment with more styles. Some past releases include these styles: Autumn Brown, Dunkelweizen, and more versions of IPA.

Frequently Asked Questions: Athletic Brewing Company

Is athletic brewing really non-alcoholic?

Yes. Non-alcoholic beer can be categorized as having less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, and Athletic Brewing beers meet that criteria.

What is the best Athletic Brewing beer?

It depends on the style of beer you prefer, but my favorite is the Run Wild IPA. Bitter but balanced, refreshing, and all-around good.

Health Benefits of Alcohol Free Beer

Non-alcoholic beer has some potential health benefits, aside from solely avoiding alcohol. Some olympic athletes have even been known to drink alcohol free beer for hydration.

For more detail on some of the health benefits of drinking beer, especially non-alcoholic beer, read Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Good For You?

Final Thoughts

Athletic Brewing Company is a great choice for non-alcoholic craft beers. If you haven’t ventured into the world of non alcoholic craft brews, I suggest you make haste, and start with Run Wild IPA. If you want to sample them all, try one of these variety packs (link to check price on Amazon).

Picture of Angela T.
Hi, I’m Angela! Ever since alternative beverages made their debut, I’ve been on a mission to find the best. As someone who loves wine and making craft cocktails, I approach each new beverage with curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism. I hope these honest reviews will help you learn which non-alcoholic drinks are best for you.