Athletic Brewing Co.’s Bill Shufelt has an origin story that anyone who has taken a break from booze can relate to: He gave up drinking for a month and felt so good that he never went back.  

But living in NYC, working in finance, and accustomed to wining and dining clients several times a week, the sober Shufelt had a gripe. Out on the town, drinkers enjoyed a wealth of options, delivered to them via tome-like wine lists and extensive beer and cocktail menus. Those who didn’t drink, however, were basically handed a Shirley Temple and shunted to the kids’ table. 

Why, in a golden age of brewing, should this be the case? That’s what Shufelt asked his wife as he glanced across the street at yet another craft brewery. Apparently one to light a candle rather than curse the darkness, she told him he should start a non-alcoholic brewery.  

Challenge accepted. Shufelt raised funds from his finance buddies and was off to the races. The first hurdle—and one that ended up being pretty high—was finding a brewer. He had some bites, sure, when prospects realized the plan didn’t involve alcohol, they bolted.

But when Shufelt found John Walker, they clicked. Then they were off to the races—for real. 

Founded in 2017, Athletic is now the standard-bearer of the American N/A beer world. They started by winning medals at beer competitions. Now, although they’re still racking up wins, they’ve moved on to bigger things: In 2022, Time magazine named Athletic one of their 100 Most Influential Companies, and the brewery took the #26 spot on Inc. magazine's list of fastest-growing American companies.  

And the beers, five years after the company’s founding? Better than ever.