Ep61 — Bill Shufelt of Athletic Brewing Company

I used to be a bit of a stickler when it came to low and no alcohol beer—because it didn’t really fit into my lifestyle at the time, I didn’t see the point of it. 

These days, however, I’ve not only accepted that it’s important to see more alcohol free beer on the bar, but believe its increasing availability is a net positive to beer culture as a whole. Not only does it give people who don’t drink alcohol the chance to enjoy beer, but it allows people to curate their habits, whether that’s to drink more mindfully, or cut down on the units in certain situations or at certain times of the year.

Most importantly, I believe the increasing availability of good quality alcohol free beer opens up beer and pub culture to more people. And more people choosing to socialise and spend time in pubs is something that all of us should be celebrating. With a greater number of good quality draught low and now alcohol beer options coming to the market, this is a trend I expect to continue.

One of the breakout low and no alcohol beer brands of the past few years is Milford, Connecticut’s Athletic Brewing Company. Established in 2017 by Bill Shufelt and John Walker, in just seven short years it’s grown to have multiple brewing sites, release well over 100 different beers—all low/no—and attain a market valuation of a staggering $800 million. They’ve even opened a taproom, which brings a beer experience most of us take for granted to a much wider range of people.

While alcohol free beer is growing in the US beer market, it’s not doing so quite as quickly as it is in the UK, where there seems to be less remaining stigma around alcohol free beer. As a result, Bill spends a fair amount of time in the UK as he helps to steward the growth of his brand over here. Most recently, Athletic has partnered with Arsenal Football Club as an official drinks partner, providing further mainstream exposure for a brand that shows no signs of slowing down.

In this brand new episode of the Pellicle Podcast I caught up with Athletic Brewing Company’s co-founder Bill Shufelt during SIBA’s Beer X conference in Liverpool. We chatted about, among other things, the stratospheric growth of his brewery, their approach to producing their alcohol free products, and why the UK is a crucial market for low alcohol brands. If you’re keen to understand the dynamic alcohol free beer market, then this episode is a must-listen.

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