An N/A Beer Style For Every Running Occasion

Need help finding just the right N/A brew for pre and post-workout enjoyment? You may not have asked, but we’ve got you covered.

As we wrote about last year, non-alcoholic beer can enhance the workout recovery benefits that already exist in regular beer, which due to the presence of polyphenols (an antioxidant) can provide health advantages despite the presence and diuretic effect of alcohol. Neat, right? But obviously not all N/A beer is the same these days, thanks to the explosion of craft options now on the market. So with that in mind, here are our suggestions for finding the right situational N/A brew to pair with all of your running moments.

The Pre-Run Hydration Boost

We know what you’re thinking. Drinking a beer before going on a run seems antithetical to any fitness goals, even one sans alcohol. And to be fair, for obvious reasons we wouldn’t recommend drinking one before a big race, as the thought of carbonated malt and hops sloshing around in your stomach sounds revolting even to us. But what if we told you there could be some hydrating benefits of N/A to prepare your body for a tough workout ahead? In a 2016 study, researchers concluded that drinking an N/A beer approximately 45 minutes before a draining workout could actually improve hydration, reporting that it “could help maintain electrolyte homeostasis during exercise.” Just drinking water instead also had similar effects on hydration, but N/A beer did so with a better ratio of sodium to potassium.

So what type of N/A beer should you drink before the run? The science is not really clear on whether a certain beer style offers more hydration than others, but since we are talking about before a run, we’d probably stick to something more crisp and refreshing like a kolsch, pilsner, or lager. Some possibilities we’ve sampled in our own N/ATION tasting bar that might hit the spot beforehand:

Atmosphere Brewery 0.0 Pils - completely zero alcohol, smooth German-style pilsner.

Ceebo “The Classic” - crisp and refreshing, and easy drinking.

Best Day Brewing Kolsch - light and citrusy flavors that won’t fill you up.

The In-Run Companion

Let’s get one thing straight so as not to lose all credibility - if you are any sort of serious runner, then drinking a beer even without alcohol is not something we’re ever going to recommend while in-workout. However, in light of the new N/A twist on the Beer Mile, we’ll focus our attention on what might make the best N/A beer for competing in one of running’s most interesting competitions. Similar to the pre-run brew, we’re thinking something on the lighter side makes sense here for the same reasons. To consider specific recommendations, we looked at what N/A beers the Beer Mile’s top record-holders have been using thus far. As it turns out, the entire current leaderboard is made up of Athletic Brewing Company beers, not surprising given their status as the N/A Beer Mile sponsor. Heading the list is Athletic Lite, which was used by 7 of the top 10 record holders in the event, including all of the top four. Going beyond Athletic, we’d also throw in Go Brewing’s Savage Lite as another option to keep in mind.

The Post-Run Recovery

You’ve put in some serious miles, now it’s time to put some potassium back into your body quickly so you can begin your recovery. The answer doesn’t always have to be a sports drink as conventional wisdom might tell you. At this stage there’s perhaps a greater focus on the volume of antioxidants present, and research suggests that darker beers, particularly stouts and porters may have the highest amount of polyphenols to offer, along with some heavier IPAs. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, roughly 80% of beer phenols are derived from malt, with the remaining 20% from hops. Focusing on some darker and heavier options, here are some suggestions from what we’ve sampled:

WellBeing Hellraiser Dark Amber - toasty notes, plus what runner doesn’t see themselves as a hellraiser?

Atmos Brewing Kora Double Hop IPA - an N/A double IPA means more hops without the dehydrating effects you don’t need after a hard run.

Bravus Brewing Peanut Butter Dark - a favorite dark from the OG N/A-only brewer.

The Post-Race Celebration

You’ve just finished that race for which you’ve been training for months and it’s time to celebrate. Sure, you could choose an alcoholic beer for the occasion and that’s OK, too, but maybe you want to be slightly healthier? While just about any N/A of your choosing could fit the bill, perhaps you want something a little different from the norm. Here are a few of our suggestions that may be up for meeting the moment:

Bravus Gravitas Barrel-Aged Bourbon Stout - a contender for the champagne of N/A beers.

Bravus Brewing Raspberry Gose - bubbly and fruit-forward that will remind you of a Rose.

Busty Lush She’s Golden - woman-owned, this brew is as golden as your new race hardware.