The New Sports Drink of Champions: Beer?

  • Share
  • Read Later

REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Americans have never really been fans of alcohol-free beer. Erdinger Alkoholfrei, a Bavarian brewer, thinks it can win us over.

Well, the athletes among us, at least. The non-alcoholic brew is an incredibly popular option for European athletes at the end of sporting events. The carbohydrate-filled beverage boasts that its vitamin-rich, no additive recipe contains all of the essentials to restore athletes after a workout — without Gatorade’s jitters or alcohol’s buzz.

(More on TIME.com: See which countries drink most)

The company is now trying to make a cut into the U.S. market, which has historically not embraced non-alcoholic beers. In fact, there’s been a steady decline in purchases of alcohol-free beer since the initial buzz in the early 1990s when Anheuser-Busch debuted O’Doul’s and Miller debuted Sharp’s.

This doesn’t discourage Erdinger, Germany’s top-selling alcohol free beer. The company thinks their German flavor will set them apart where others lacked.

Another challenge? A six-pack sells for $10. That’s a quite a bit more pricey than Gatorade. Furthermore, despite being marketed as alcohol-free, the brew has “less than 0.5 percent” alcohol. What does this mean for the American market? It’s illegal for buyers under 21 to purchase in several states.

(More on TIME.com: Beer drinkers more likely to have sex on the first date.)

NewsFeed’s prediction? Gatorade shouldn’t worry about the new kid in town just yet. (via AP)