Athletic Brewing, nonalcoholic brewery, finds home in San Diego NBC 7 San Diego [Video]

Athletic Brewing is trying to change the way you look at nonalcoholic beer.

“We want people to be able to hold the beer with the label out, hoping people would ask about it. Previously, with nonalcoholic beer, everyone was like, ‘Man, I hope no one asks me what I’m drinking,'” Bill Shufelt, the company’s co-founder, told NBC 7.

Athletic started in Connecticut in 2018 before expanding to San Diego four years later. It’s opening another manufacturing plant in Miramar next year. When that new facility opens, Athletic will be able to double its brewing capacity.

The demand for Athletic’s beer has skyrocketed. It’s the No. 1 nonalcoholic beer brand in the U.S. and is now the No. 1 selling beer brand at Whole Foods, alcoholic or not, according to CNBC. This comes as about 40% of Americans say they are trying to drink less alcohol this year.

Getting the idea to start Athletic came about 11 years ago when Shufelt stopped drinking …