Bro-tein Beer? Apparently Even Your Cold One Needs a Wellness Plan Now
Are you ready to drink Bro-tein Beer? Because according to the latest from the world’s largest brewer, even beer is being dragged into the protein-and-electrolyte era.
KTLA’s Andy Riesmeyer gave the morning crew the deets on Anheuser-Busch InBev — the brewing giant behind Corona, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois — and its latest attempt to adapt to changing drinking habits — and the conversation very quickly became less “business strategy” and more “why does everything need protein now?”
Fair question.
The brewing giant says it is looking at beer with added protein or electrolytes, smaller package sizes, more non-alcoholic choices and a bigger push into other drink categories as consumers drink less, watch their spending and pay closer attention to health and wellness.
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Protein Walked Into a Bar
AB InBev is testing how far the wellness trend can stretch — from protein and electrolytes to smaller packs and more non-alcoholic options.
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Okay, What Is Protein — And Why Are Bros Taking So Much of It?
Protein is one of the body’s major nutrients, built from smaller units called amino acids. Those amino acids help the body build, maintain and repair tissue — including muscle — which is why protein gets so much attention anywhere dumbbells and shaker bottles gather.
When someone lifts weights, the workout creates a stimulus that the muscles then have to recover and adapt from. Adequate protein supplies the amino acids needed for that repair-and-rebuild process. That is the unsexy science hiding underneath the gym-bro obsession.
And the shakes? Mostly convenience. Protein is already in foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans and nuts, but powders and ready-to-drink products make it easy to get a concentrated serving without cooking another chicken breast at 10 p.m. The NIH notes that athletes can often meet their needs through food, with supplements and fortified foods useful when extra protein is needed.
So no, protein does not magically create biceps on contact. Training provides the reason for the muscle to adapt; protein supplies building material for the recovery. Which is exactly why putting it into a beer sounds so perfectly engineered for the modern bro economy.
Protein Beer Is Already Real — Just Not Here Yet
This is not entirely theoretical. In Brazil, AB InBev’s Brazilian arm, Ambev, has already launched Spaten Pro, the company’s first protein beer anywhere in the world.
The dark Munich Dunkel-style brew is zero alcohol, comes in a 350 mL can and contains 10 grams of protein. According to Brazilian reporting around the launch, it also comes in under 100 calories.
So yes: beer and protein powder have officially met each other. Somewhere, a gym bro just felt a disturbance in the universe.
But before anyone starts planning post-workout six-packs, AB InBev has not announced a comparable protein beer for the U.S. The broader strategy discussed with investors is about experimenting with formats and ingredients that might appeal to people who are drinking less often or looking for different kinds of beverages.
And Now They’re Talking Electrolytes Too
The company is also exploring beer with electrolytes, which sent the KTLA desk exactly where you would expect.
If working out makes you lose electrolytes and drinking beer can leave you dehydrated, does putting electrolytes in the beer somehow cancel the whole thing out?
As the segment wisely lands: legally, nobody is saying that.
What AB InBev is saying is that beer drinkers are changing. Along with protein and electrolyte experiments, the brewer is looking at smaller pack sizes and expanding beyond traditional beer into areas including canned cocktails, energy drinks and more non-alcoholic options.
Which brings us back to the important question raised at the desk: can’t we just enjoy a beer?
Maybe. But apparently somebody in product development has already opened the shaker bottle.
Watch KTLA’s Andy Riesmeyer Explain the Rise of Protein Beer
Riesmeyer breaks down AB InBev’s push toward protein, electrolytes, smaller beer formats and non-alcoholic options as the KTLA desk brainstorms the only logical name: “Bro-tein Beer.”
Source: KTLA; Reuters; Ambev; NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Images and video: KTLA / YouTube.
