THE NEXT WELLNESS TREND MIGHT BE... PROTEIN BEER? 🍺💪

Just when you thought the wellness industry had reached peak absurdity, along comes the latest trend: "functional beer."

Yes, apparently regular beer wasn't complicated enough.

A new article in Men's Fitness suggests that the next big thing could be non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beer that's packed with vitamins, electrolytes, probiotics and trendy supplements like ashwagandha, reishi mushrooms and nootropics.

Because nothing says "Friday night" quite like cracking open an ice-cold beverage and announcing, "This one has probiotics and promotes calm focus."

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The idea is to create a "feel-good buzz without the booze," combining the social aspect of beer with ingredients that claim to boost your mood, reduce stress and improve concentration.

So, basically, imagine if kombucha and an IPA had a baby that spent too much time listening to wellness podcasts.

The trend makes some sense. Younger adults are drinking less alcohol than previous generations, and the market for non-alcoholic drinks has exploded in recent years. People still want something fun and social to sip on, even if they're skipping the hangover.

That said, non-alcoholic beer still has a few hurdles to overcome.

For starters, many people complain that it costs almost as much as regular beer, doesn't taste nearly as good and somehow still contains enough calories to make you question your life choices.

And let's be honest: if you're not drinking alcohol, a lot of people would rather grab a sparkling water, a Diet Coke or an iced coffee than pretend they're enjoying a beer flavoured with mushrooms and stress relief.

At this rate, by 2030 we'll all be meeting friends at the pub and ordering a "triple-hopped probiotic lager with electrolytes and hints of turmeric."

Bartenders everywhere are already exhausted. 🎙️🇨🇦