Athletic Brewing Free Wave Hazy IPA
By Athletic Brewing · USA
Athletic’s hazy IPA. The brewery describes “a hugely hoppy hazy IPA with a juicy body and velvety pour”, with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic hops giving tangerine and grapefruit aromas.
At under 0.5% ABV, this isn’t alcohol-free under UK guidance, which keeps the term for 0.05% or less. We list it with alcohol-free beers, as UK shops do. How UK labels work
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What is Free Wave?
Free Wave is Athletic’s hazy IPA. In February 2026 it went on sale at Whole Foods and Wise Bartender, and The Drinks Business reported that the UK cans are brewed at Athletic’s site in California.
It comes with a reputation. In 2020 Free Wave was named Supreme Champion Beer at the International Beer Challenge, which The Scotsman reported as the first time in the competition’s 24 years that an alcohol-free beer had taken the top prize. The same year the competition named Athletic its Brewer of the Year for North America.
Athletic hops it with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic and describes tangerine and grapefruit aromas, with pine and floral notes behind them. It is the fullest of Athletic’s UK core beers by the numbers too: 19 kcal per 100ml, against 17 for Run Wild.
Awards
- Supreme Champion Beer, International Beer Challenge 2020
- Gold, International Beer Challenge 2022
- Silver, World Beer Awards 2022 (Country IPA)
- Bronze, International Beer Challenge 2021
The 2020 win was reported by The Scotsman and announced by Athletic; the others are listed on Athletic’s US product page.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on this beer’s style and Athletic’s tasting notes (tangerine and grapefruit, with pine and floral notes behind), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Nutrition
| Typical values | Per 100ml | Per 355ml can |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 80 kJ / 19 kcal | about 284 kJ / 67 kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 0g |
| of which saturates | 0g | 0g |
| Carbohydrate | 4.4g | about 15.6g |
| of which sugars | 1.8g | about 6.4g |
| Fibre | 0g | 0g |
| Protein | 0g | 0g |
| Salt | 0g | 0g |
Per-100ml figures are from the nutrition table on Athletic’s UK product page, checked October 2026. Per-can figures are our own sums (100ml figure × 3.55). Athletic’s US label gives 70 calories a can.
Key facts
| Official name | Free Wave IPA |
|---|---|
| Style | Hazy IPA |
| ABV | Less than 0.5% |
| Can size | 355ml |
| Calories | 19 kcal per 100ml; about 67 per 355ml can |
| Carbohydrate | 4.4g per 100ml (about 15.6g per can) |
| Sugar | 1.8g per 100ml (about 6.4g per can) |
| Ingredients | Water, malted barley, wheat, hops, yeast |
| Hops | Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Gluten | Not labelled gluten-free (contains barley and wheat) |
| Brewed | USA; The Drinks Business reported the UK cans are brewed in California |
| Awards | Supreme Champion Beer, International Beer Challenge 2020; 3 more listed above |
| UK availability | Core UK range |
Source: Athletic Brewing’s UK product page, checked October 2026. The can is always the final word.
How Free Wave sits in the Athletic range
| Beer | Style | Per 100ml | Per 355ml can | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run Wild | IPA | 17 kcal | about 60 kcal | 8.8 | Core range |
| Upside Dawn | Pale Ale | 13 kcal | about 46 kcal | 8.5 | Core range |
| Free Wave (this beer) | Hazy IPA | 19 kcal | about 67 kcal | 8.7 | Core range |
| Athletic Lager | Lager | 7 kcal | about 25 kcal | 8.2 | Core range |
| Clock End | Red Ale | 22 kcal | about 78 kcal | Not yet rated | Limited release |
| All Out | Stout | — | 90 kcal (US label) | 8.5 | Not currently in the UK |
Calories from Athletic’s UK nutrition tables (October 2026), except All Out, which uses the US label. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.
About Athletic Brewing
Athletic Brewing makes only non-alcoholic beer. Bill Shufelt and John Walker founded it in 2017 and opened their first brewery in Stratford, Connecticut, in 2018; it now brews in Milford, Connecticut, and San Diego, California. Every beer is under 0.5% ABV, and the cans sold in the UK are brewed in the US and imported.
See all Athletic Brewing beers →Read our Athletic Brewing review →Track every beer, discover your taste archetype, join the community.
Door 16 of our alcohol-free advent calendar. Athletic Brewing Free Wave Hazy IPA is one of the 24 beers in the calendar you can build yourself, chosen from the highest scorers in our reviews. See the full line-up, and every ready-made calendar on sale this year, in our alcohol-free advent calendar guide.
About the hops: Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic. Types of hops · What are hops?
