Olive Oil Ale? Graza and Athletic Brewing Company Unite for Extra Virgin Nonalcoholic Beer

(Photo: Athletic Brewing Company)

Gen Z’s favorite olive oil brand has teamed up with Millennials’ favorite nonalcoholic beer for a collaboration sure to raise more than a few eyebrows among chronically online foodies.

On Wednesday, Athletic Brewing Company and Graza unveiled Cold Off the Press, a limited-edition nonalcoholic brew made with the latter company’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Made how, you ask? According to the team, Graza’s green gold was added during the brewing process, nourishing the yeast and yielding bright, floral flavors of citrus and herbs.

Like all Athletic products, the pilsner is canned at less than 0.5% ABV. Its ingredients list includes water, malted barley, rice, hops, lemon, yeast, wheat and — of course — olive oil. Six-packs are now available online at a suggested retail price of $14.99 while supplies last.

“The folks at Graza share our passion for great flavor and questioning how familiar products are supposed to look, taste, and feel,” John Walker, co-founder and COO of Athletic, remarked in a news release. “We’re always willing to chase an idea that sounds a little wild if we believe it can lead somewhere delicious, and this one absolutely did.”

Graza CEO Andrew Benin added: “Athletic brings the same energy, curiosity, and attention to ingredients and flavor that we do. Cold Off The Press is super drinkable and one of the more deliciously adventurous places we’ve taken olive oil.”

Unexpected as the partnership may be, it fits squarely within trends of the day. Graza and Athletic are two of the most-talked-about names in the increasingly Internet-forward food and beverage industry — an industry that’s learned to rely on splashy marketing and headline-worthy collaborations with fellow up-and-comers.

Athletic is widely regarded as the largest dedicated nonalcoholic brewery in the world. Launched by Bill Shufelt and John Walker in 2018, the Connecticut-based company offers over a dozen permanent brews alongside a string of limited-edition beers released in collaboration with the likes of Netflix and country music star Walker Hayes. Its latest win? Signing NFL quarterbacks Drake Maye and Dak Prescott as “athlete-owners,” a dual role that appears to entail both spokesperson and equity investor.

We have samples of Athletic Brewing x Graza beer arriving in the mail shortly, and will be sure to let you know what we think of the drizzle-meets-drink experiment. Stay tuned!