Non-alcoholic beer · honest comparison

Athletic Brewing vs Go Brewing

An up-to-date, side-by-side look at two non-alcoholic beers — who makes them, how they're made, and how they actually compare. No spin, just the facts.

Last updated June 2026

Credit where it's due

Athletic Brewing did more than almost anyone to put non-alcoholic craft beer on the map. Since 2017 they've built large, purpose-built NA breweries on both coasts and grown into the biggest NA craft brand in the country — real proof that “non-alcoholic” and “genuinely good” belong in the same sentence. Every brand in this space, ours included, owes them a tip of the cap for helping create the category and investing serious money in dedicated manufacturing.

At a glance

Athletic Brewing Go Brewing
Founded 2017 (first brewery 2018) Launched DTC 2023 · retail 2024
Based Milford, Connecticut, USA Naperville, Illinois, USA
Ownership Independent (VC-backed) Independent
How it's made Brewed to low ABV in its own dedicated NA breweries — not de-alcoholized Brewed & canned from scratch in its own brewery — never de-alcoholized
NA range Many styles — IPAs, golden, light, seasonals + hop water 11–12 rotating styles — IPAs, sours, lagers, gluten-free & more

Figures reflect publicly available information at the time of writing; methods and ranges evolve.

Where Go Brewing fits in

We'll be straight with you: next to the category's giants, Go Brewing is small and young — we launched direct-to-consumer in 2023 and only hit retail shelves in 2024. Athletic Brewing has a real head start, and we respect that.

What's different is how we make it: every Go beer is brewed and canned from scratch in our own Illinois brewery and kept naturally low — never de-alcoholized or diluted. That's let us move fast and win medals across the World Beer Cup and Best of Craft Beer Awards, and it's why we're now one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic brands in the US (Nielsen, 2025).

18,000+
Untappd ratings
8,000+
Stores, 31 states
2,400+
Verified reviews
Illinois
Made in

Want unfiltered opinions? We're easy to find on Untappd with thousands of ratings, and our mixed pack has been featured on Amazon's “Most Wished For” in non-alcoholic beer.

The only real test is taste

Try a Go Brewing mixed pack and judge for yourself — alongside Athletic Brewing or on its own.

Athletic Brewing vs Go Brewing — FAQ

Is Go Brewing bigger than Athletic Brewing?+
No — Athletic is the largest NA craft brewer in the US with a multi-year head start. Go Brewing is a small, fast-growing independent that launched DTC in 2023 and reached retail in 2024.
Are they made the same way?+
Similarly — both brew to a naturally low ABV rather than de-alcoholizing. Athletic brews at its own facilities; Go Brewing brews and cans every batch in its own Illinois brewery.
How is Go Brewing made?+
Every Go beer is brewed and canned from scratch in our own Illinois brewery and kept naturally at 0.5% ABV or less — never de-alcoholized or diluted.
Does Go Brewing have gluten-free options?+
Yes — our Freedom line is crafted without gluten. Check each product page to confirm.
Where can I buy Go Brewing?+
Online and in 8,000+ stores across 31 states, plus our taproom in Naperville, IL.