Go Brewing is looking for influencers. Just not the kind who actually influence online.
The Naperville-based brewery has launched Cold Standard, a 45-calorie non-alcoholic American lite beer, with a campaign built around “Non-O-Influencers” – regular people who like beer, rarely post on social media and are willing to hand a can to a friend or neighbor in real life.
Instead of follower counts, content calendars and hashtags, applicants answer three questions: how much they like beer, how often they post on social media and a little about themselves.
And according to Go Brewing, “hardly ever” is the right answer to question two.
If selected, participants receive Cold Standard with one request: share it with someone offline.
The idea is part of a broader positioning for the new beer around “the rest of us” – people who aren’t necessarily chasing extremes, trends or attention.
That thinking also drives “This Guy,” the 15-second launch spot starring performance chef, ultra-endurance athlete and Go Brewing partner Dan Churchill.
In the spot, Churchill goes full overachiever, climbing a Ferris wheel and racing a cement truck, while an everyman named Lindy eats funnel cake, drinks a Cold Standard and gives him an “I’m all set” nod. Watch below:
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For Go Brewing, Lindy is the audience.
“Craft, domestic, non-alcoholic, light – there are so many labels. What about just a beer? A good one,” said founder and CEO Joe Chura.
Chura said Cold Standard is the culmination of years of product development, including 14 million cans and thousands of iterations.
The beer is brewed in Chicagoland with noble hops and formulated from the start to remain below 0.5% ABV. Each 12-ounce can contains 45 calories.
The launch campaign is running across connected TV, including Hulu and more than 100 streaming channels, as well as paid social and Amazon.
Go Brewing is also leaning into an unusual pricing stunt for launch.
Each additional six-pack of Cold Standard added to an online order costs $1 less than the previous one, starting at $14.99 and dropping to 99 cents for the 15th six-pack. Orders of four or more six-packs ship free while the promotion lasts.
Cold Standard is available now online and is expected to roll into Wegmans stores in January 2027, with additional retail expansion to follow.
Go Brewing products are already sold through chains including Binny’s Beverage Depot, Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Meijer, Whole Foods, Kroger and Total Wine & More.
For a brewery launching a new beer in an era obsessed with reach, engagement and creator clout, Go Brewing is betting on something decidedly less algorithmic.
Neighbors.
