The duo brewed hundreds of batches on home equipment for several months to perfect their formula.

Pouring over brewing textbooks at night and on weekends and chatting up German nonalcoholic beer makers, Shufelt eventually quit his day job in finance in 2017 and teamed up with award-winning brewer John Walker, formerly of Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But when he gave up drinking, he found the nonalcoholic options at the time lacked “the innovation and interesting flavors” he had come to love in his favorite boozy brews. RELATED: Will Run for Booze: The Rise of Alcohol and Exercise Perfecting the Athletic Brewing formulaĪ graduate of Vermont’s Middlebury College, Shufelt had long been a fan of craft breweries like Otter Creek Brewing and Magic Hat Brewing Company. Here’s how the former hedge fund trader built the country’s leading nonalcoholic craft beer company. Initially launching with just two beers-the still best-selling Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden Ale-the brand now boasts 61% of the country’s nonalcoholic beer market and counts 2021 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel among its fans. Over the past few years, even occasional imbibers have been pressing pause on their alcohol consumption, with the number of “sober curious” drinkers and abstinence challenges like Sober October and Dry January rapidly growing in popularity.

And the timing couldn’t have been better. In 2017, Shufelt founded Athletic Brewing, the name a nod to his dual passions for fitness and quality beers. Tired of sipping on Diet Coke and cranberry sodas at weddings, restaurants, and other social gatherings, Shufelt realized he might not be the only one frustrated by the limited nonalcoholic options for health-conscious adults with sophisticated palates-so he decided to create one. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!Īn avid ultramarathoner, Bill Shufelt gave up drinking alcohol in 2013 when he realized that happy hours and hangovers were keeping him from performing his best at work and on the trails.

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