Athletic Brewing Is Founded as a Dedicated Non-Alcoholic Brewery

In 2017, Bill Shufelt and brewer John Walker founded Athletic Brewing Company in Connecticut to focus exclusively on non-alcoholic craft beer. Shufelt had stopped drinking alcohol while pursuing an active lifestyle and believed that the existing American non-alcoholic beer market offered few satisfying choices. Together, the founders developed beers intended to reproduce the variety and flavor associated with modern craft brewing while remaining below 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. Athletic opened a brewery and taproom dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic craft beer in Stratford, Connecticut, and launched commercially in 2018 with Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden Ale. Its emphasis on IPAs, seasonal releases, athletic events, and contemporary craft-beer branding helped establish a new model for non-alcoholic brewing in the United States: an independent brewery built around the category rather than an alcohol-free extension of an established conventional beer brand.