Athletic Brewing Co. find success with buzzless beer
If Athletic Brewing Co. has proven anything in its infancy, cofounder Bill Shufelt said it’s that there is room and demand in the craft beer industry for nonalcoholic brews.
“That was our whole thesis,” he said. “People just like feeling good, and it’s been really fun to see that that education hurdles that we had anticipated were actually pretty low.”
Connecticut craft beer lovers got a taste of ABC’s buzzless beer 18 months ago when Shufelt and his partner John Walker opened the Stratford brewery at 350 Long Beach Blvd. Since then, they’ve carved out a niche for themselves in the state’s $746 million craft beer industry while breaking stigmas surrounding nonalcoholic beer.
“We definitely found that the category was stagnant because of the existing product offering,” Shufelt said. “It wasn’t a true reflection of consumers’ interest in the category, and it’s been really cool to see our hypothesis play out.”
Early success
What started as a twoman crew with 10,000 square feet of warehouse space, has grown beyond what either founder said they expected so early in the venture.
“We thought that we had a brewery that was going to keep us running for the next five years in capacity, but it really turned out that all those tanks were full in 8 or 10 months,” Shufelt said.
After opening in the middle of 2018, the duo hit the ground running with two flagship beers that Shufelt said caught consumer attention.
Since then, Walker, who is also the head brewer, has increased ABC’s offerings with his nonalcoholic take on different brews like double IPAs, cervezas, and other seasonal beers. In their first year, the Madison resident said he’s brewed around 2,000 barrels of beer.
“It took a long time to get to a comfortable place, but we hit our stride and then we were able to do that things that people want to do, which is explore and play with different flavors,” Walker said. “You don’t always know what you’re looking for, and people understand it and felt our vision and mission are clear and sincere.”
Now, he said the brewery is on pace to do produce 10 times the
amount they made last year, which prompted a midsummer expansion. To meet growing demands, the duo expanded their business into a neighboring unit, doubling in size and production capacity.
ABC has also increased its staff to roughly 22 people, many who joined without traditional job listings, Shufelt said.
“After hearing (Shufelt’s) vision for the business and his own kind of journey to build it, it clicked with me. … His passion for it was sort of infectious,” said Derek Sellhausen, who runs Athletic Brewing online store, which also sells and ships their beer nationwide.
Brand recognition
When they aren’t concocting new beer ideas, Shufelt and Walker can be found promoting their beer at the finish line of local sporting events.
“We really wanted to introduce our beer to customers where they are feeling good and being active and celebrating great occasions with their friends and family,” Shufelt said. “That’s really where we want to exist.”
Amid their growth, Shufelt said Athletic Brewing has become a common nonalcoholic choice in several restaurants and bars throughout the Northeast.
The Stratford brews have also caught the eye of sports arenas, including MetLife stadium.
“That’s our first big stadium land since opening,” Shufelt said, adding they’ve recently been approached by college stadiums as well for similar opportunities.
Even with largerscale partnerships on the horizon, Shufelt and Walker said they are still playing to the crowd.
Athletic Brewing is slated to host a nonalcoholic Oktoberfest at the brewery next month, which will feature a 5K, authentic German food and live music.
Since opening, they’ve also donated a portion of their sales to trail and park cleanup efforts throughout the state.
“There seems to be a lot of interest in familyfriendly offerings where people can have a good time and get home safely as well,” Shufelt said.
Welcomed and accepted
Along with consumers, the craft beer industry has welcomed Athletic Brewing with open arms.
“They have been crushing it in every facet that you would want just in general, not just as a nonalcoholic brewery,” said Phil Pappas, executive director of the CT Brewers Guild. “The really have exploded and set themselves apart in just the craft beer market in general.”
Since ABC joined the growing craft beer scene in Connecticut, Pappas said several brewers have put the new brand in their taproom as another option.
“You always have to adapt and change for the consumer demand,” Pappas said. “I think that they are meeting and exceeding it.”
The reception has been a pleasant surprise, according to Walker.
“It’s been an amazingly gratifying and uplifting to see how this has been received because you never know when you start out, and there is definitely some skepticism at the outset,” he said.