Non-alcoholic craft brewery Athletic Brewing is preparing to open a pop-up facility featuring “the intersection of beer and burpees” in Austin, Texas, the company teased today on social media.
“What’s cool, refreshing, and sweaty all over?” the brewery tweeted. “Yes, an ice-cold Athletic, but also something wildly new that’s coming to Austin, Texas on September 1, 2021.”
A teaser video for Athletic Bar hints that the new facility will feature “box jumps and plenty of hops” in a place where drinkers can “hit the mats then the taps.”
Athletic Bar will operate September 1-26 and will host five free fitness classes per day at 115 San Jacinto Blvd. in Austin’s Warehouse District, according to a press release. Classes include high intensity interval training cardio, yoga and other mat-based and body weight workouts. Students will be treated to an Athletic brew of their choosing following the workout.
Offerings in Austin will include Run Wild IPA, Upside Dawn Golden Ale, Free Wave Hazy IPA, Cerveza Atletica and All Out Stout, an Athletic spokesperson told Brewbound.
“Merging physical activity with great-tasting, high-quality, non-alcoholic beer is what Athletic Bar is all about,” the release said.
Athletic Bar marks the first time Athletic has combined tasting and fitness in person, though the company has hosted online virtual fitness classes before.
Classes and beer will be free, but reservations are recommended, according to the release. Athletic Bar’s online reservation system is scheduled to go live on August 17.
The news follows an announcement of Athletic’s plans for a 150,000 barrel brewery in Milford, Connecticut, funded by the closure of a $50 million Series C funding round in May. Once the new brewery is online, Athletic will have 300,000 barrels of capacity on both coasts with the San Diego, California-based production brewery it opened in March 2020.
In a recent interview, Athletic co-founder Bill Shufelt told PYMNTS.com that 80% of Athletic’s consumers are younger than 44. The brewery’s fanbase breaks into three distinct segments: health-conscious, socially engaged people with active work and social lives (which Shufelt dubbed “weekend warriors”), young parents who want to consume beer without the effects of alcohol, and athletes, Shufelt said.
Year-to-date through June 13, off-premise dollar sales of non-alcoholic beer are up 28.3%, to more than $102.2 million, according to market research firm IRI. The non-alc segment now holds a .52 share of the overall beer category.
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