- Rich taste and aroma
- Great looking can
- Low calorie, carbohydrates and sugars
- Harder to source in the UK
- More expensive than supermarket stocked brands
Athletic Brewing are on a mission.
They’re one of the growing crop of brewers who exclusively make alcohol free beers. As such their alcohol free offering isn’t just an expansion of their business – it is their business. Reading about their alcohol free purpose is very interesting. Head of the business, Ben Shufelt, left a successful career in finance to pursue his passion for alcohol free brewing after making the conscientious decision to cut alcohol out in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.
After teaming up with award winning craft brewer John Walker the pair set about creating the perfect recipe for their alcohol free brews and then built their entire brewery in Connecticut, USA around the process. Just think about that for a second – building a brewery specific to a recipe and process. That’s serious dedication to the alcohol free cause.
Furthermore, Athletic Brewing are one of the growing crop of businesses with a heart and soul. Their strong set of company values are based around making the world a better, healthier, more sustainable and more caring place. In their home country this USA brewer has a wide range of alcohol free beers to choose from whilst here in the UK there’s currently a smaller selection. Having previously checked out their fantastic amber ale Upside Dawn today we turn our attention to their Run Wild IPA.
Run Wild IPA Initial Review
Only a few years ago most people didn’t know what an IPA was. They weren’t widely stocked or consumed, and were somewhat of a footnote compared to lager and real ales. Now however IPAs are everywhere. The craft beer section in supermarkets is more of a craft IPA section. People know IPA, people like IPA, and that’s a problem whether reviewing or choosing an IPA. We know what we like, we’re probably brand loyal, and we’re potentially a little bored. One of the first alcohol free beers I found that I actually liked was Brewdog Punk AF and as such I’m going to be extra tough in comparing Run Wild IPA to my other favourite alcohol free IPA.
Athletic Brewing’s packaging design is on point – it’s modern, clean, clear and easy to identify. The colour scheme of blue and yellow sits nicely on the high shine of the aluminium can, and the slightly matt feel of the label feels good in the hand.
In the glass Run Wild pours to a slightly hazy deep amber complexion. This is my first point of comparison to Brewdog – Punk AF is too pale to look like its fully loaded counterpart, but this alcohol free IPA looks like a ‘proper’ IPA. Run Wild is a viscous brew and as such it has a satisfying head when poured – a better head than Brewdog Punk AF too.
Run Wild alcohol free IPA has a deep aroma of grapefruit and citrus mixed with red and black dried fruits. It smells inviting and rich. The taste delivers as the aroma promises – a hoppy bitter bite that lingers afterwards with a slightly sweet hint of gooseberry towards the end. It has a rich and viscous mouthfeel that delivers taste with the texture of tiny smooth bubbles. Put simply, this alcohol free IPA tastes as good as a fully loaded IPA. Oh, and better than Brewdog Punk AF too.
Where Can I Buy Run Wild IPA?
Athletic Brewing beers aren’t widely stocked in shops in the UK. As such you’d do well to visit a specialist beer retailer, or better yet a specialist alcohol free retailer. I picked up Run Wild as part of an alcohol free beer selection box from The Alcohol Free Co. which is a great way to sample a selection of new brews. Other purchasing options include:
Run Wild IPA Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
Athletic Brewing are all about making alcohol free beers that support and encourage a healthy lifestyle. This 100% vegan alcohol free beer is made from water, malted barley, oats, wheat, hops and yeast. Nutritional values per 100ml are as follows:
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 79 / 19 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 4.3 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 1.2 |
| Protein (g) | 0.3 |
| Salt (g) | 0.01 |
The Verdict?
Athletic Brewing have made a special beer here. It’s an IPA that stands up on its own against other IPAs. It’s an alcohol free IPA that stands up on its own against other alcohol free IPAs. When Brewdog set out to make an alcohol free Punk IPA they got incredibly close, but fell slightly short on colour, texture and taste. On all of these points Athletic Brewing have nailed it.
Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA Details
