About Athletic - old

Athletic Brewing is pioneering a revolution in non-alcoholic craft beer. We promise to use high-quality, all-natural ingredients to create great-tasting brews for our beer-loving family. We strive to create brews suitable for everyone and every occasion. No matter your motivation, if you want to keep a clear head and drink healthier, we are here for you.

The seed for Athletic Brewing was planted when I was evaluating my life before I was about to get married. As I looked to continue to improve my life through health and fitness, I found one area incompatible with the rest.  Alcohol-drenched nights and weekends that resulted in unproductive hangovers and unhealthy meals had no place in a demanding financial career that required 24/7 focus. So, I made the choice to cut alcohol out of my life and I have never looked back.

I still enjoyed going to bars and restaurants with friends, attending sporting events, weddings, barbeques and other social events. With limited non-alcoholic options (at best) to fit my new healthy, active lifestyle, I was always at a loss for a refreshing beverage that was easy to order and carried no social stigma. The only options were flavorless, watery, metallic in taste, and came with punchlines of decades-old jokes.

The void in the market was clear. I had attended college in Vermont and great beer was a big part of my life. I started market research that evolved into founding Athletic Brewing to focus solely on making a whole platform of delicious, craft non-alcoholic beers for the modern beer drinker to enjoy with friends and family. This required me leaving a safe, stable job in the financial industry to fully dedicate my time and energy to this true passion.

I teamed up with John Walker, a highly accomplished and awarded craft brewer who was brewing at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The intellectual challenge and the possibility of including a large portion of the adult population in the craft community drove John to join the team. We decided on Stratford, CT as home base and proceeded to brew over 100 batches on homebrew equipment to perfect our process. Once satisfied, we built the entire brewery around it.

From the start, we plan to offer more non-alcoholic beer variety than the sector has ever known. We welcome you to come visit us at our brewery and tap room in Stratford, the first of its kind in the country, to meet our team and learn more about our mission. 

We are thrilled to share this journey to find our best selves with every one of you. 

Cheers,

Bill Shufelt
Carrying Athletic Brewing Beer on Beach