Athletic Brewing Non-Alcoholic Beer: Every Flavor Compared
Where to start, every Athletic beer we stock by style, how it's made, and how it compares with the other non-alcoholic beers on our shelf.
Athletic Brewing makes nothing but non-alcoholic beer, and it’s the brand most people mean when they say they found an NA beer they like. Here’s where to start, every Athletic beer we stock by style, how it’s made, and how it compares with the other non-alcoholic beers on our shelf.
Under 0.5%
On every can. None is labeled 0.0%.
25 to 90
Calories per 12 oz can, from Athletic Lite to the dark beers.
Brewed low
Athletic brews to under 0.5% rather than removing the alcohol.
Since 2017
Founded in Connecticut, with a second brewery in San Diego.
Where to start
Four beers, one for each kind of beer drinker. The numbers aren’t a ranking.
- 01IPA drinkers, and first-timersRun Wild IPA
- 02Soft, juicy and hazyFree Wave Hazy IPA
- 03Counting caloriesAthletic Lite
- 04Stouts and portersAll Out Extra Dark
Run Wild IPA
- <0.5%
- Never Alcoholized
- United States
A session IPA on Northwest hops: pine and citrus up front, a firm, bitter finish, and more body than its 65 calories suggest. It’s the easiest way to find out whether Athletic suits you.
Free Wave Hazy IPA
- <0.5%
- Never Alcoholized
- United States
Soft and cloudy, with tangerine and grapefruit up front and gentler bitterness than Run Wild.
Athletic Lite
- <0.5%
- Never Alcoholized
- United States
A crisp, light lager in the spirit of a mainstream light beer: clean, a little bready, and best ice-cold.
All Out Extra Dark
- <0.5%
- Never Alcoholized
- United States
Editor’s Choice Our pick for the dark-beer drinker.
Roasted coffee and dark chocolate, smoothed with oats so it drinks rich rather than heavy.
Every Athletic beer, by style
Calories and carbs per 12 oz can, from the labels, lightest first in each group. Every one is under 0.5% alcohol.
Light and golden
Lagers and golden ales, 25 to 60 calories.
- Athletic Lite: 25 calories, 5 g carbs
- Athletic Lite Lime & Salt: 40 calories, 8 g carbs
- Upside Dawn Golden: 45 calories, 10 g carbs
- Vita Chiara Italian-Style Pale: 50 calories, 11 g carbs
- Mexican-Style Golden: 55 calories, 12 g carbs
- Atlética Mexican-style copper: 60 calories, 14 g carbs
IPAs
Session, hazy, West Coast and fruited, 65 to 90.
- Run Wild IPA: 65 calories, 14 g carbs
- Free Wave Hazy IPA: 70 calories, 16 g carbs
- Tucker’s West Coast IPA: 70 calories, 15 g carbs
- Pedal to Promise citrus IPA: 80 calories, 15 g carbs
- Triple Palm tropical IPA: 80 calories, 18 g carbs
- Fruity Free Wave: 90 calories, 20 g carbs
Fruited, sour and zesty
Wheat, citrus, sours and a radler, 60 to 90.
- Wit’s Peak Belgian-style white: 60 calories, 12 g carbs
- Aftershift lime leaf and yuzu: 60 calories, 12 g carbs
- Chelada Amada michelada: 80 calories, 17 g carbs
- Tropical Sour: 90 calories, 19 g carbs
- Ripe Pursuit radler: 90 calories, 21 g carbs
Dark and seasonal
Coffee, chocolate and pumpkin, 90.
- All Out Extra Dark: 90 calories, 21 g carbs
- Dark & Gourdy pumpkin porter: 90 calories, 21 g carbs
Athletic also makes non-alcoholic cocktails in cans: a Moscow Mule, a Paloma, a Mango Margarita and a Strawberry Mojito, at 60 to 70 calories each. They aren’t beers, so they’re left out here.
Alcohol, and how Athletic makes it
Every Athletic beer is labeled under 0.5% alcohol by volume, the US line for non-alcoholic, and none is labeled 0.0%. That’s too little to feel, and your body clears it about as fast as you drink it. If you need a true zero, for an ignition interlock or an alcohol test, read this first and choose a 0.0% beer.
Most non-alcoholic beer
Brewed as full-strength beer, then the alcohol is removed in a separate industrial step.
Athletic
Changes the brewing process itself, so the beer ferments fully but finishes under 0.5% on its own. Its brewers credit that with keeping more hop and fermentation character.
Athletic was founded in Connecticut in 2017 by Bill Shufelt and brewer John Walker. It added a San Diego brewery in 2020 (Walker on the process) and gives 2% of sales to trail upkeep through its Two for the Trails fund.
Athletic vs other non-alcoholic beers
Athletic’s strength is range: IPAs, sours and seasonals that German and Spanish brewers rarely make without alcohol. Where it gives ground is the number on the can. Per 12 oz, from the labels:
| Beer | Alcohol | Style | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Run Wild IPA | Under 0.5% | Session IPA | 65 |
| Bitburger Drive | 0.0% | German pilsner | 78 |
| Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 0.0% | Spanish lager | 79 |
| Weihenstephaner | Under 0.5% | Bavarian wheat | 54 |
| Erdinger | Under 0.5% | Bavarian wheat | 89 |
Need 0.0%?
Bitburger Drive or Estrella Galicia 0,0.
Like wheat beer?
Weihenstephaner or Erdinger.
Want an IPA, a sour or a seasonal?
That’s Athletic’s ground.
People often weigh Athletic against Heineken 0.0, which we don’t stock. Heineken brews its 0.0 as full beer, removes the alcohol and states at most 0.03%. How to choose a non-alcoholic beer goes through the styles, and the beer shelf has every brand.
Common questions
Does Athletic Brewing have alcohol?
A trace: every Athletic beer is labeled under 0.5% alcohol, the US limit for non-alcoholic beer, and none is labeled 0.0%. That is too little to feel, but if you need a true zero for an interlock or an alcohol test, choose a 0.0% beer such as Bitburger Drive or Estrella Galicia 0,0.
How many calories are in Athletic Brewing beer?
From 25 to 90 per 12 oz can, depending on the style. Athletic Lite is lowest at 25, Upside Dawn Golden is 45, Run Wild IPA is 65, and the dark, fruited and seasonal beers reach 90.
Which Athletic Brewing flavor is best?
It depends on what you drink now. IPA drinkers usually start with Run Wild; hazy fans with Free Wave; anyone counting calories with Athletic Lite or Upside Dawn Golden; and dark-beer drinkers with All Out Extra Dark.
Is Athletic Brewing dealcoholized?
Athletic says no. Rather than brewing full-strength beer and removing the alcohol, it changes the brewing process so the beer ferments fully but finishes under 0.5% on its own.
