March 19, 2026
BERO vs IMPOSSIBREW: Spider-Man's $100M Beer vs the One I Actually Keep in My Fridge
Tom Holland's BERO just hit a $100 million valuation. Robert Downey Jr's involved. Aston Martin partnership. Massive US distribution. It's the biggest celebrity AF beer launch ever.
And I keep buying IMPOSSIBREW instead.
Not because I'm contrarian (well, maybe a bit). Because after two months of trying literally every AF beer I can get my hands on, the question I keep coming back to isn't "which tastes better?" It's "which one makes Tuesday evening actually feel like something?"
Let me explain.
The $100M Question Nobody's Asking
Every review of BERO talks about the same things. Celebrity backing. Production quality. "Brewed from scratch, not de-alcoholised." Robert Downey Jr doing a collab. The brand story is Hollywood-grade because, well, it is Hollywood.
But here's what I noticed after cracking open a BERO on a Wednesday night: it tastes like a decent beer. And then... that's it. You drink it. You taste it. Nothing else happens.
Which is fine if all you want from AF beer is taste. But if that's all you want, you could drink Lucky Saint or Big Drop or any of the other 47 decent AF beers that have launched in the last three years.
The question nobody in the BERO hype train is asking: what's in it besides beer?
The answer is nothing. It's beer minus alcohol. Full stop.
The Head-to-Head
$100M valuation. Celebrity backing. US-focused.
Crowdfunded by 1,204 people. UK-born. Functional ingredients.
| Category | BERO | IMPOSSIBREW |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | US (launched UK 2026) | UK-born and brewed |
| Approach | Brewed from scratch (not de-alcoholised) | Brewed with functional ingredients (Social Blend) |
| Functional Ingredients | None | L-theanine, ashwagandha, vitamin B1 |
| What It Does | Tastes like beer without alcohol | Tastes like beer AND targets relaxation pathways |
| Celebrity Backing | Tom Holland, RDJ collab, Aston Martin | Crowdfunded. Dragons' Den appearance (8.7M views) |
| Valuation | $100M | Small independent brand |
| UK Availability | Select retailers, online | DTC next-day delivery, growing retail |
| Range (UK) | Golden Pils, Hazy IPA | Triple Hopped IPA, Pale Ale, Lager |
| The Tuesday Test | Tastes good. Evening feels the same. | Tastes good. Evening actually feels different. |
The Tuesday Evening Test
Here's how I judge every AF beer now. Not by taste. Not by branding. By the Tuesday Evening Test.
It's 7pm on a Tuesday. You've had a long day. The kids are finally quiet. You crack open a beer. And the question is: does your evening actually feel any different than if you'd cracked open a glass of water?
With BERO: honestly, no. It's a nice-tasting drink. I enjoyed drinking it. But at 8pm I felt exactly the same as if I'd had a Coke Zero. The ritual was nice. The actual effect was zero.
With IMPOSSIBREW: something shifts. There's an L-theanine + ashwagandha thing going on that I can only describe as "the edge comes off." Not drunk. Not buzzed. Just... the shoulders drop a bit. The brain quiets down. It's the closest thing to that first-pint feeling without actually drinking.
88% of their customers say they drink less alcohol. I believe it, because the reason most of us drink on a Tuesday isn't the taste. It's the feeling. And IMPOSSIBREW is the only AF beer I've tried that delivers something in that department.
Who BERO Is Actually For
Credit where it's due. BERO is a well-made beer. The Kingston Golden Pils is crisp and clean. The branding is exceptional (it's Tom Holland, of course it is). And if you're the kind of person who just wants a beer that tastes like beer but with no alcohol, BERO is a solid option.
But so is Lucky Saint. So is Big Drop. So is half the craft AF market now. "Tastes like beer without the alcohol" is no longer a differentiator. It's table stakes.
The question for 2026 isn't "can you make an AF beer that tastes good?" That's been answered. The question is: "can you make an AF beer that actually does something?"
BERO's answer: no, but Spider-Man drinks it.
IMPOSSIBREW's answer: yes, and here's the peer-reviewed science behind it.
The Money Question
BERO raised $100M in venture capital to do what IMPOSSIBREW did with crowdfunding from 1,204 regular people.
That's not a criticism of BERO. Building a global brand takes capital. But it does tell you something about where each brand's loyalty sits. BERO is accountable to investors who need a return. IMPOSSIBREW is accountable to the people who backed it because they genuinely wanted the product to exist.
As someone who's neither an investor nor an employee of either company, I'll take the one that was built by people who actually wanted to solve the problem over the one that was built because celebrity AF beer is a hot VC category.
The Verdict
BERO 7/10 - Well-made celebrity AF beer. Great branding, solid taste, nothing to complain about. But nothing that Lucky Saint or Athletic Brewing aren't also doing.
IMPOSSIBREW 9/10 - The only AF beer I've tried that passes the Tuesday Evening Test. Functional ingredients that actually do something. Less hype, more substance. The one I actually reorder.
If you want taste: either works. If you want the feeling: IMPOSSIBREW. No contest.
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Disclosure: The IMPOSSIBREW link above is a referral link - you get £10 off and I earn a small credit. I'm not affiliated with either brand. Just a bloke who's tried a lot of AF beer and has opinions. See my full tier list for more honest rankings.