WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dad Strength Brewing, which calls itself America’s first dedicated low-alcohol craft brewery, is now selling beer in New York.
All three year-round beers — IPA, Juicy IPA, and Hazy IPA, the brand’s fastest seller — are on shelves at 44 Wegmans stores statewide. New York is the company’s eighth state.
The launch is through T.J. Sheehan and The Sheehan Family Companies. Dad Strength says the goal is a stronger low-alcohol footprint across the Northeast.
Wegmans is the first retailer in the brand’s network to give Low & No beers their own dedicated shelf space, rather than mixing them into the regular craft set.
Why New York matters
“New York is a major milestone for Dad Strength, and partnering with The Sheehan Family Companies gives us an incredible opportunity to build on that momentum throughout the Northeast,” said co-founder Craig Carey.
Co-founder Ryan Kutscher pointed to the Wegmans set as a category signal.
“Seeing Wegmans’ decision to dedicate shelf space to Low & No products is a powerful signal that this emerging category has real staying power. It also shows there’s a growing demand for great-tasting craft options for consumers who want to drink less alcohol without giving up the experience of having a beer.”
Dad Strength beers are 2.9% ABV and 94 calories. The company already distributes in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Michigan.
About Dad Strength Brewing
Dad Strength Brewing started in Washington, D.C., in 2023, when longtime friends Ryan Kutscher and Craig Carey hit a familiar middle-age problem: they still wanted hop-forward craft beer, but 7–10% IPAs no longer fit early mornings, kids, or the next workday. Both were already entrepreneurs — Kutscher in public relations, Carey in restaurants — and they spent years mixing regular beer with non-alcoholic beer in the same glass to land around 3% ABV. When they could not find a commercial beer that tasted like a real IPA under 3%, they asked Atlas Brew Works, the World Beer Cup–winning D.C. brewery, to help them brew one. After about a year and eight or nine pilot batches, they released a 2.9% ABV, 94-calorie West Coast IPA in summer 2024 and billed Dad Strength as America’s first dedicated low-alcohol craft brewery.
The brand grew from D.C. bars and a pickup-truck hustle into a three-beer lineup — IPA, Juicy IPA, and Hazy IPA — all kept at 2.9% ABV. In September 2025, Kutscher and Carey pitched the company on the Season 17 premiere of Shark Tank, asking $250,000 for 5%. They closed a $300,000 deal for 12% with Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, and Rashaun L. Williams. That attention, plus coverage in Food & Wine, Men’s Health, The Wall Street Journal, and TODAY, helped push distribution beyond the Mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas, Tennessee, Michigan, and, in 2026, New York, including a dedicated Low & No set at Wegmans.
For more information, please visit dadstrengthbrewing.com.
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