From underwhelming O’Doul’s to award-winning craft brews, Tate Huffard and his team are carving out room for flavor, fun, and belonging in the non-alcoholic beer scene.
Sparking a Sober Revolution—One Sip at a Time
If you’d told anyone a decade ago that non-alcoholic craft beer would be the “it” drink on a Friday night, you’d be met with raised eyebrows and maybe a polite chuckle. But as Tate Huffard, founder and CEO of Best Day Brewing, explains in his lively chat with Alysse Bryson and Justin Lamb on The Sober Curator Podcast, times—and tastes—have changed dramatically.
The NA beer market is now booming, and Best Day Brewing is at the center of this cultural shift, inspiring drinkers to embrace a lifestyle that’s less about deprivation and more about connection, flavor, and celebration. In this episode, we find out exactly how—and why—Tate and his hop-loving crew are raising the bar for sober living.
The Grassroots of a Great Beer
For Tate, the journey to brew the “ultimate” non-alcoholic beer was personal. He recalls his earliest NA beer experience—choking down an O’Doul’s during family dinners and parking the leftovers in the fridge. “Boy, was it underwhelming,” Tate laughs, highlighting what was then the sorry state of non-alcoholic beers: lackluster branding and even worse product quality. “It’s hard to imagine…the brands were terrible, right? Non-existent. And the products were even worse.”
But as he began taking stock of his life—marriage, fatherhood, outdoor adventures—Tate noticed a pattern: alcohol didn’t fit every lifestyle, but great-tasting beer should. And that sense of communal joy that beer brings? It shouldn’t be lost just because you’re skipping the alcohol.
Crafting a Better Brew—And a Better Brand
Determined to bring flavor, community, and optimism to the NA space, Tate and his team refused to settle for “slightly better O’Doul’s.” Instead, they set the bar sky-high: create a non-alcoholic beer so good you wouldn’t know the difference if you weren’t told.
Best Day’s innovation lies in its full fermentation method—an ambitious, tech-heavy, and costlier route that maintains the beloved flavors, aromas, and “punchy hop feel” real craft beer fans crave. “Unless someone could drink this and, unless I told them it was non-alcoholic, they wouldn’t know…it wasn’t worth doing,” Tate insists.
And it works. With brews like their flagship Kolsch and the much-loved (and returning!) Galaxy Ripple IPA, Best Day is making it clear: non-alcoholic beer can be complex, refreshing, and endlessly interesting.
Branding for Belonging
Beyond the can, Best Day is intentional about its brand. “Your cans are very approachable…they just read happy,” Alysse notes. The branding is bright, gender-neutral, and, yes, fun. Their recent “Sober Sex” Super Bowl campaign had everyone talking (and some blushing), blending humor with a healthy dose of self-awareness. Sober doesn’t have to mean boring or self-serious. As Justin puts it, “This space is still cool. The community is still cool. How can I do that without all the bullshit that comes with alcohol?”
That’s the ethos Best Day Brewing wants to bottle, and their broad, growing consumer base across the U.S.—from the coasts to the Midwest—suggests it’s resonating far and wide.
What’s Next? Innovation and Inclusion
The innovation doesn’t stop. Collaborations with organizations like the Surfrider Foundation, small-batch experimental brews like the Yuzu Ginger Shandy (hello, US Open Beer Championship gold medal!), and shoutouts to wild flavor territory (mango habanero stout anyone?) show that Best Day isn’t just keeping pace—they’re pioneering.
Best Day brings their beer to community events, beach clean-ups, yoga studios, trail runs, and beyond, making sober socializing not just possible, but celebratory. “So much of this is grassroots,” says Tate. “It’s connecting with people where they are and meeting them in the moment with a great beer.”
Sober, Not Boring—The New Pop Culture
Best Day Brewing and The Sober Curator Podcast share a mission: to prove that sober living is vibrant, dynamic, and worthy of the spotlight. “Sober pop culture at its finest,” Alysse calls it. Whether you’re NA-curious, fully alcohol-free, or just in it for the flavor, there’s room at the table—and in the beer fridge. The best days aren’t behind us; with brands like Best Day Brewing leading the charge, they’re right ahead.
Let’s raise a glass (of NA beer!) to a future where hangovers are cancelled, and community is always on tap.
Sober Curator Fun Fact: Check out all of these NA reviews of Best Day Brewing by our resident NA beer nerd, Justin Lamb.
- Best Day Brewing Kolsch Is a Perfect Light, Balanced NA Beer, Full of Flavor & Sexiness
- Best Day Brewing – Galaxy Ripple Imperial IPA – Smells SO Good It Should Be a Glade PlugIn
- Best Day Brewing – Nature Pils: It’s Better Than a Perfect Cheeto!
Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. That’s the whole premise.
The Sober Curator Podcast brings sober lifestyle, pop culture and recovery to the mic with personality, perspective and a glitter bomb of honesty. Founder and host Alysse Bryson (sober since May 1, 2006, and self-described Kevin Bacon of Recovery) is joined by co-host and show producer Tamar Routly of Podcast Impact Studio, plus a rotating bench of global Sober Curator contributors who pull up a chair as co-hosts.
What we cover, episode to episode:
Happy Every Hour: zero-proof drinks, NA beer, spirits and cocktails, reviewed by people who actually drink them.
Health and Wellness: mental health, physical health and what recovery looks like on a Tuesday.
Lifestyle: dating, parenting, shopping, style and the everyday logistics of alcohol-free living.
Entertainment: quit lit, movies, TV, music, sports and celebrity sobriety, rated with our proprietary Sobees.
Spiritual Gangster: Jesus to astrology, stoicism to the Celtic calendar.
Travel: sober events, sober retreats, Sobriety in the City and global travel without a drink in hand.
We also review other sober podcasts on Recovery Podcastland, dig into sponsored product spotlights, and go deep with contributors on how they got sober and what keeps them there. New episodes drop as video on YouTube and audio everywhere you listen.
Want more? BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator is our membership community with Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights and The Sober Curator Mixtape, a monthly mini-zine delivered in a cassette case. Details at https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/
Whether you’re sober curious or decades in, we’ve got you. We’re not here to help you get sober. We’re here to help you live sober and love it.
Rate, review and subscribe. It takes 60 seconds and we will love you forever.
Contact: thesobercurator@gmail.com
A.J. Daulerio got sober in the middle of the Hulk Hogan trial. Three months in, every defect of character he had was being read to a jury. He calls it fourth step dinner theater.
Then he built The Small Bow, the recovery publication Alysse was embarrassed she didn’t know about: literary essays, free Zoom meetings every day of the week, a podcast, and now a book. Two magazine people and a producer try to name the category they’re in, and mostly fail.
In this episode:
- Why AJ interviews himself in the car (and who he pretends is asking)
- “Sober BuzzFeed” vs. “literary meat”: what each of us is building and who it’s for
- The Harper’s story about AA that made AJ pay $100 a year, and why nobody writes for people who are past rock bottom and a little adrift
- Abstinence, sobriety, recovery: why 12-step is one of nine things AJ does
- The Hulk Hogan trial, the Uber driver who didn’t care, and the lesson in humility
- The Small Book, out Dec. 29
Heads up: this one goes to some dark places, including a reader AJ lost and a friend Alysse lost. Take care while listening.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The train, off the tracks
01:28 AJ interviews himself in the car
05:34 How Alysse found The Small Bow
11:39 “Chicken soup for the dark night of the soul”
14:40 Are we wellness? Sound baths and trust falls
15:19 Sober ten years, and the problems get classier
18:54 Abstinence, sobriety, recovery: 12-step is one of nine
26:35 The Harper’s story that started everything
29:58 Literary meat vs. sober BuzzFeed
41:15 Fourth step dinner theater: the Hulk Hogan trial
46:57 “I’m the writer. I’m the human.”
48:47 “So you met Hulk Hogan?”
57:17 What AJ would tell year one
01:01:59 “Fast-forward to the part they get sober”
Sober Shots:
“You’re allowed to build your whole life around a routine nobody will ever write a headline about.” (Alysse Bryson)
“All the things that I thought were being taken away from me were also the things I needed to let go of the most.” (A.J. Daulerio)
Mentioned in this episode:
– The Small Bow – The Small Book, out Dec. 29 – I’m The Sober Curator, and I Just Found The Small Bow – S2E17 with Paulina Pinsky – Backstage with The Sober Curator
Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more.
SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/
SC RESOURCES:
– Meet the Contributors – Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide – Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide – LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide – Family Resource Guide
CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest
Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com
Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice.
Music: TSC S2 theme “Sober Shots” created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno’s commercial license.
Welcome to HAPPY EVERY HOUR, your go-to hub for all things NA (non-alcoholic). We review alcohol-free beers, ciders, wines, spirits, RTDs (ready-to-drink), and share NA cocktail recipes that taste just as good—if not better—than the boozy originals. Whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or just taking a break, this is where great taste meets zero proof.
TRIGGER WARNING: People in early sobriety may want to proceed with caution. Always read labels. Please hydrate responsibly … #becausedrunkneverlooksgood.
🛍️ Submit a Product for Review NA beverages, sober-friendly tools, alcohol-free brands, and products built for the way our audience actually lives. Submit your product →
SOBERSCRIBE NOW!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
Follow The Sober Curator on X, the artist formerly known as Twitter
