Nutrition Diet: How Does Athletic Brewing Remove Alcohol? Understanding the Brewing Process

October 22, 2025 •

4 min read

The non-alcoholic beer market is experiencing significant growth, with sales increasing dramatically in recent years. A major reason for this surge is the innovation in brewing techniques that preserve taste. Consumers are increasingly curious: how does athletic brewing remove alcohol and still deliver a full-flavored experience, making it a viable option for a healthier nutrition diet?

Quick Summary

Athletic Brewing utilizes a proprietary, modified fermentation process that prevents significant alcohol formation from the start, rather than relying on later alcohol removal techniques. This unique method allows the brewery to craft full-flavored, non-alcoholic beers with less than 0.5% ABV.

Key Points

Proprietary Process: Athletic Brewing uses a unique, controlled fermentation method to produce low-alcohol beer, avoiding traditional dealcoholization techniques entirely.
Flavor Preservation: By preventing significant alcohol formation from the start, the beer retains its delicate and complex flavors, unlike methods involving heat or filtration.
Not Alcohol Removal: The core of Athletic's technique is brewing without alcohol, rather than removing it from a finished alcoholic product.
Low Calorie and Nutritious: Non-alcoholic beers like Athletic's offer a healthier option with fewer calories, plus beneficial nutrients like B vitamins and antioxidants.
Hydrating for Athletes: With hydrating properties and added electrolytes, NA beer is a popular post-workout recovery drink for athletes.
Revolutionized NA Beer: This innovative approach is responsible for creating a high-quality non-alcoholic craft beer that has shifted consumer perception of the category.
Avoids "Worty" Taste: Unlike arrested fermentation, Athletic's method avoids the unpleasantly sweet or unfinished taste that can result from halting the brewing process early.

The Science of Non-Alcoholic Brewing

For a long time, non-alcoholic (NA) beer was synonymous with a watery, subpar flavor profile. This was largely due to outdated methods that involved either arresting fermentation early or heating the beer to evaporate the alcohol post-brewing. Both approaches often stripped the final product of key flavor compounds and aromas. In contrast, a new wave of craft non-alcoholic brewers, led by companies like Athletic Brewing, have revolutionized the process by focusing on innovative brewing techniques that prevent alcohol from forming in the first place.

How does Athletic Brewing remove alcohol?

This question is based on a misconception; Athletic Brewing does not remove alcohol in the traditional sense. Instead, founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker developed a proprietary, controlled fermentation method that brews beer to a very low alcohol level (less than 0.5% ABV) from the start. This process involves a series of carefully controlled adjustments to the standard brewing recipe, including modifying fermentation temperatures and other variables.

Low-Alcohol Fermentation: Unlike traditional brewing where yeast is given the perfect conditions to fully ferment sugars into alcohol, Athletic's method limits the yeast's alcohol-producing activity. This prevents the formation of high alcohol content while still allowing for the development of complex, desirable flavor compounds.
Preservation of Flavor: By avoiding the intense heat of vacuum distillation or the filtering effects of reverse osmosis, Athletic Brewing's proprietary process ensures that delicate hop aromas and flavor notes are not lost. This results in a finished product with a taste and body that closely mirrors its alcoholic craft beer counterparts, a major distinction from older NA options.

Comparison of Non-Alcoholic Brewing Methods

To appreciate the innovation behind Athletic Brewing's process, it's helpful to compare it with other common methods for creating non-alcoholic beer.


Method	Process	Advantages	Disadvantages
Athletic Brewing's Proprietary Process	Controlled, limited fermentation from the start, preventing significant alcohol production.	Retains full flavor and aroma profile; avoids watery, "worty" taste.	Process is proprietary and not widely replicable by other brewers.
Reverse Osmosis	High-pressure filtration through a membrane that allows water and alcohol to pass but traps larger flavor molecules.	Effective at removing alcohol; good flavor preservation if done carefully.	High capital costs for equipment; risks of flavor loss and oxidation if not managed correctly.
Vacuum Distillation	Heating the beer under low pressure to boil off alcohol at a lower temperature than traditional methods.	Less damaging to flavor than simple boiling; can be a precise process.	Can still lead to some flavor loss, as volatile hop compounds are also removed.
Arrested Fermentation	Stopping the fermentation process prematurely before significant alcohol is produced.	Relatively simple process accessible to many brewers.	Often results in a sweet, unfinished, and "worty" taste because the yeast doesn't complete its flavor-developing cycle.

The Role of Athletic Brewing's NA Beer in a Nutrition Diet

Beyond its unique brewing method, the nutritional aspects of non-alcoholic beer align well with a healthy lifestyle. For individuals following a nutrition diet, Athletic Brewing's products offer several key benefits.

Health benefits of non-alcoholic beer

Lower Calorie Count: Non-alcoholic beers generally have significantly fewer calories than their alcoholic counterparts. Athletic's flagship brews, for example, typically contain only 50-70 calories per can, making them an excellent choice for those managing their weight.
Improved Hydration: Unlike alcoholic beverages, which can be dehydrating, non-alcoholic beer is hydrating. Some brands even contain electrolytes, making them a popular post-workout option for athletes seeking a recovery drink with flavor.
Source of Nutrients: The brewing process used by Athletic preserves many nutrients that would otherwise be lost in dealcoholization. This includes B vitamins and minerals like potassium, which play important roles in metabolism and nervous system function.
Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties: Studies have shown that non-alcoholic beers contain polyphenols and other compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that support cardiovascular health.

Conclusion: A New Standard for Non-Alcoholic Beverages

By eschewing traditional dealcoholization in favor of a proprietary controlled fermentation, Athletic Brewing has set a new standard for non-alcoholic beer. Their method is not about removing alcohol but about preventing its formation from the beginning, thereby preserving the rich and complex flavors consumers expect from a craft brew. This innovative approach has led to a superior product that appeals to a wide audience, including those focused on a healthier nutrition diet. The result is a delicious, low-calorie, and hydrating beverage that delivers the craft beer experience without the alcohol or the watery taste. This evolution in brewing technology demonstrates that it's possible to create high-quality, flavorful non-alcoholic alternatives that can be enjoyed guilt-free at any time.

For more information on different NA beer production methods, see this comprehensive guide from Escarpment Labs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Athletic Brewing uses a proprietary, patented process that involves a series of carefully controlled adjustments to the traditional brewing method, including manipulating fermentation temperatures and other specific variables. This prevents the yeast from converting most of the sugars into alcohol while still developing complex flavors.

Athletic's method is often preferred because it avoids the potential negative impacts of dealcoholization processes like reverse osmosis and vacuum distillation, which can remove or damage delicate flavor and aroma compounds. By never forming high levels of alcohol, the beer maintains a fuller, more authentic taste.

Dealcoholization involves brewing a full-strength beer and then removing the alcohol afterward using methods like boiling or filtration. Controlled fermentation, on the other hand, is a process of limiting alcohol production from the very beginning of the brew, resulting in a low-alcohol beer without a removal step.

Yes. Athletic's non-alcoholic beers are low in calories, hydrating, and contain beneficial nutrients like B vitamins and polyphenols. These properties, combined with the absence of alcohol, make them a healthier beverage choice for those following a nutrition diet.

Non-alcoholic beer, including Athletic's, can be a good post-workout option. It provides hydration and electrolytes, and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can aid in recovery. It offers the flavor of beer without the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

Yes, it contains a very small amount of alcohol, less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). This is the legal limit for non-alcoholic beer in the United States. Their process ferments the beer to this very low level.

The pricing reflects the significant investment in research and development, quality ingredients, and the complex, often proprietary, brewing processes required to produce a high-quality non-alcoholic beverage. Maintaining flavor without alcohol is a considerable technical challenge.