Bravus

Brandes noticed a gap in the market. Around 2014, craft breweries were pushing alcohol levels higher while offering nothing for people who wanted flavourful beer without the buzz. After teaching himself to homebrew and spending a year producing what he admits were some truly terrible experiments, Brandes cracked a method that worked. Rather than brewing regular beer and stripping out the alcohol, Bravus developed a proprietary process that limits alcohol creation during fermentation. The result tastes like craft beer because it's brewed like craft beer.

The range covers familiar styles done well. Their West Coast IPA delivers hop bitterness without apology. The Oatmeal Dark offers roasted malt depth that earned recognition at the Great American Beer Festival, a rare achievement for any non-alcoholic entry. Blood Orange IPA and Raspberry Gose add fruit-forward options for warmer months.

Bravus has grown considerably since Brandes started brewing in his garage. A small Santa Ana facility gave way to a full production brewery in Anaheim in 2020, following a surge in direct-to-consumer sales as more Americans explored drinking less.

You can order direct from their website with shipping across the US, or find Bravus at Total Wine locations nationwide. The brewery also produces hop water and functional teas alongside its beer range. As the category pioneer, Bravus now operates in a market that has caught up considerably around it.