Zero alcohol beer from Athletic Brewing Co wins Tesco listing

Alcohol-free beers from US-based Athletic Brewing Company are set to be sold at 300 Tesco stores across the UK.

Speaking to the drinks business, Athletic Brewing Company founder and CEO Bill Shufelt said: “With one in three people actively moderating their alcohol consumption, we’re excited about the opportunity in the UK and thrilled to be giving drinkers another great-tasting alcohol-free craft beer – the most award-winning to date.”

Athletic Brewing’s Run Wild IPA will retail at £6 for four 355ml cans, along with its Upside Dawn Golden Ale also retailing at £6 for four 355ml cans. Each weighs in at less than 0.5% ABV.

Run Wild IPA, which contains just 64 calories, is made with organic Vienna malt and a blend of five Northwest hops. Upside Dawn Golden Ale, which contains only 45 calories, has been brewed with a combination of English and American hops and is gluten-free. Both beers are also vegan and non-GMO.

Shufelt explained: “Launching into over 300 UK Tesco stores enables us to make our award-winning alcohol-free brews more widely available for consumers, and we’re optimistic that we can achieve significant growth in the UK’s alcohol-free craft beer sector.”

Athletic Brewing, which launched in 2017, has quickly become the largest alcohol-free craft beer brand in the US and also recently became the bestselling beer (alcohol and alcohol-free) in US Whole Foods Market locations.

The brewer, which is a Certified B Corporation, first debuted in the UK market in 2021 and was previously available online via its website shop and Ocado as well as all UK Whole Foods Market stores. Through its ‘Two For The Trails’ initiative, Athletic donates 2% of all sales to protecting and restoring outdoor spaces across the globe and is an avid supporter of Surfers Against Sewage, an organisation fighting against ocean pollution.