If you are a beer lover like me and have made a promise to yourself to drink less beer, consider trying a non-alcoholic beer. Now, before you say to yourself, “No way. It can’t possibly taste good,” I am here to swear that there are some non-alcoholic beers being brewed that are just as good, even better than ordinary beer. They have come a long way from the first brands.
An experiment
As an experiment, I have combined alcohol beer beverages with NAs in the same cooler and when someone grabs a NA (marketing has come a long way from the first beers where anyone holding them had the stigma of, “Wow that person must really have a drinking problem.’) I don’t mention it. Once they’ve about finished, I let them know it doesn’t have alcohol and they are always surprised and don’t believe me until I show them the label and they look closely. Many of these beers do have a very slight amount of alcohol. Typical is .05% by volume. If you are completely abstaining, then this won’t be for you. But for myself, who is happy to continue drinking beer without getting buzzed or drunk, midnight munchies, feeling hungover the next day and regret for not sticking with my health goals, this is for me.
The non-alcoholic beer market
The industry is booming. Now, the big beer companies are getting on board, realizing the profits they may be losing if they don’t. NA beers are becoming a big success as people are realizing that staying healthy may be to the best benefit for themselves. More options are showing up at our local stores. The trend is leaning toward less alcohol at any function.
When a new option shows up at the store, I try it. My favorite, hands down, comes from the Athletic Brewing Company. They are not your common lager ranging from golds to IPA’s to darks and sours. Their flavor profiles are so wide. And this company has the coolest mission statement: “To positively impact our customers’ health, fitness, and happiness while greatly impacting our community’s environment for the better.” “What we are on the inside of our company is the impact we will have on the outside world at large. Let’s be positive, inclusive, encouraging, collaborators, and people who are known to be a force of good!”
Athletic Brewing company donates profit each year to maintain local trails. Here’s their numbers:
- 2018 $6,000
- 2019 $52,000
- 2020 $303,00
- 2021 $1,000,000
- 2022 $1,300,000
To date for 2023 – $3,256,457 and counting! As we can see, they are growing in popularity!
Not only do I love their beers and sparkling water options, they are very generous. As a small business owner, I reached out to them as I was promoting nonalcoholic beers as an option to healthy living in a Women’s Health Fair in which I recently set up shop. They donated beer to me and shipped it to our doorstep. That’s an example of how cool this company is. I am not receiving any money for writing this; I am just encouraging you to try some NA drinks as an option for a healthier you. And if you do try some, don’t forget to throw a 6 pack from these guys. Let me know if you like it!
