Coffee, the original pre-workout drink. Back before companies were goosing you full of some proprietary blend of ephedra and mushrooms to help you squeeze out that last rep, there was coffee, powering the strength athlete through a healthy dose of morning caffeine. Then came Arnold. The Governator famously fancied cold beer prior to and during his marathon workouts. It’s arguably a bad idea, but probably something you can get away with when you’re a five-time Mr. Universe.
And so here we are, once again, at the nexus of coffee and beer. These two iconic beverages find themselves crossing paths in the form of a pre-workout drink called Suped Up, a collaboration between N/A beer brand Athletic Brewing Company and bottled coffee company Super Coffee.
According to PR Newswire, Suped Up is a “rich, Extra Dark brew” that was “inspired by the power of positive energy and the grind of endless grit.” Made with coffee from Austin’s Super Coffee and spent brewer’s grains, the “world’s first pre-workout brew” is described as “full-bodied,” with “distinct roasty and chocolatey notes with a pop of bold coffee flavor.” It also has 5g of protein in each serving, which for workout folks is more like zero protein, a whisper of amino acid, and a vague memory of a sad, unflavored chicken breast. It has less protein than a glass of milk, cow or soy. It’s enough protein to say “includes protein” but not much else.
Because this is a collaboration, Athletic and Super have tapped a host of fitness influencers for a lumberjack-themed commercial coming to a social media platform near you. And of course there will be a SXSW activation, because one must Keep Austin Activated.
I’m not personally sure I’m sold on the idea of a pre-workout NA coffee beer. Coffee is already the perfect pre-workout drink, and while Arnold was throwing back coldies during his workouts, that wasn’t the thing doing most of his performance enhancing, if you know what I mean. Because this beer is carbonated, it’s not like you can mix in other supplements to it. Adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder or collagen or what have you seems like it will only lead to a curdled, gross mess. It’s trying to do too much.
But I know there’s someone out there right now, looking to pump, dreaming of PRs and max reps, and looking for a NA coffee beer to help the do it. To them we say, bottoms up.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
