Optimum Nutrition has entered the non-alcoholic beverage segment with ChampionSips, a protein-fortified brew that pairs an American pils-style drinking experience with 10g of protein per 16 fl. oz. can — a formulation the Glanbia Performance Nutrition brand says has no direct precedent in the market.
Each 16 fl. oz. can delivers 10g of protein sourced from pea and rice, 90 calories, 11g of carbohydrates, and 0g of fat. The beer-style beverage contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, placing it squarely in the non-alcoholic beverage category, and is crafted with malted barley and hops to produce citrus and hop notes with what the company describes as a crisp, familiar finish. The protein blend — combining pea and rice sources — is a well-established approach in the sports nutrition segment for achieving a complete amino acid profile without dairy, a formulation strategy that translates readily into beverage applications.
The Co-Manufacturing Play
Bringing ChampionSips to market required a co-manufacturing partnership with Wisconsin Brewing Company, an independent brewery based in Verona, Wisconsin, founded in 2013. The collaboration illustrates a growing cross-category dynamic in functional beverage development, where sports nutrition brands leverage established brewing infrastructure to accelerate innovation outside their traditional finished-formulation expertise. Kevin Zerman, President of Wisconsin Brewing Company, noted the project required the brewery to reconsider what a non-alcoholic brew could deliver, while still maintaining the sensory experience consumers associate with the format.
The partnership reflects Optimum Nutrition's 40-year positioning as a product innovation leader in sports nutrition — a portfolio that spans protein powders, ready-to-drink shakes, energy and hydration products, and ready-to-eat bars sold in more than 100 countries. Jeff Schoenfield, Director of Innovation at Glanbia, framed ChampionSips as an occasion-extension strategy: placing the brand in social and post-activity moments where conventional sports nutrition products do not typically compete.
Market Positioning and Distribution
The launch arrives as the non-alcoholic beer and beverage segment continues to attract both consumer interest and brand investment. The timing also aligns with broader better-for-you beverage trends — particularly the convergence of protein-fortified beverages and the sober-curious movement — giving operators and buyers a reference point for where premium non-alcoholic SKUs could evolve. A Morning Consult survey of 6,601 U.S. adults fielded in June 2025 found that 62% of respondents said they had wished they had gone out after choosing to stay in, consumer ambivalence that Optimum Nutrition is explicitly targeting with this format.
ChampionSips is available as a limited-edition drop in 4-packs of 16 fl. oz. cans, priced at $14.99, exclusively through OptimumNutrition.com. The purchase requires age verification (21+), and the product is currently unavailable in Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Carolina — state-level distribution restrictions that are standard for products positioned in the beer and non-alcoholic malt beverage regulatory category. There is no announced retail channel expansion at this time, though the direct-to-consumer launch model is consistent with how Glanbia tests limited-edition innovations before considering broader sports nutrition retail placement.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
