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The Shark Tank Season 17 premiere kept the pitches lighthearted with Dad Strength Brewing, a low-alcohol beer brand designed specifically for dads who still love craft beer but can’t quite handle 10% IPAs anymore.
Founders Ryan Kutscher and Craig Carey walked into the tank with a simple mission: to bring back “five-beer Fridays” without the crushing Saturday morning hangovers.
“Sharks, we love craft beer,” Ryan began.
“But craft beer doesn’t love us the way it used to,” Craig added.
Their pitch leaned heavily on dad humor:
“Being drunk around your kids? Not cool, especially after one beer.”
“Brewed so you can crush a few without getting crushed.”
“Dad Strength does not cause Dad Bod.”
The Product: Low-ABV Craft Beer
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At just 2.9% ABV and 94 calories, Dad Strength is brewed so you can enjoy multiple beers without paying for it the next morning. The founders call it a “dad solution to a dad problem.”
According to their website, the idea started when they began mixing non-alcoholic beers with regular beers to create their own lower-ABV blend. When they couldn’t find anything like it commercially, they partnered with World Beer Cup–winning brewers at Atlas Brew Works in Washington, D.C., to make it official.
Currently, Dad Strength is only available in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Michigan, with North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee coming soon. While you can’t buy the beer online yet, merchandise is available through their website.
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The Sharks React
The pitch earned instant praise from the panel after the Sharks sampled the product.
“This is really good,” said Lori Greiner, with other Sharks echoing her sentiment.
Robert Herjavec and Rashaun L. Williams initially offered $250,000 for 10%, but when Lori wanted in, the group upped the deal to $300,000 for 15%.
Craig countered with $300,000 for 12%, which broke down to 4% equity per Shark for $100,000 each. The trio agreed, securing Dad Strength a three-Shark partnership.
With distribution already growing across the East Coast and three Sharks backing them, Dad Strength Brewing is poised to tap into a growing demand for low-ABV, lifestyle-friendly beers.
As the founders like to say: “Happy hour can actually last an hour again.”
Shark Tank airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.