Wausau's Forward Beverage Co. offers canned nonalcoholic drink options for adults

When Paul and Amy Yanzer created their nonalcoholic cocktail and beverage company, they chose the name Forward Beverage Co.

Forward is a nod to their purposeful path in the beverage industry, with a wink to the couple’s Wisconsin roots and the state's motto.

Paul Yanzer, a chemist, was working at Octopi Brewing in Waunakee when he started to consider creating his own products. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduate did a lot of taste testing every day. It got to be a bit much, and eventually he chose to quit drinking alcohol entirely.

Most nonalcoholic beers were not an option for him, since he tried to avoid gluten, and he didn’t want soda or other sugary drinks. Water became the default drink at every outing. That was the push he needed.

Tapping into his chemistry background, he decided to create his own line of nonalcoholic and functional drinks. In September 2023, the couple opened Forward Beverage Co. with a store and taproom at 303 N. Third St. in downtown Wausau.

Forward Beverage Co.’s ready-to-drink nonalcoholic canned beverage line includes soft cocktails and social seltzers with CBD. Cans can be shipped nationwide, with prices starting at $5 for soft cocktails and $7 for social seltzers. The Yanzers are working with a distributor and expect to be in southeastern Wisconsin retail locations this summer.

They talked with us by phone about their inspirations and how nonalcoholic options, including those with CBD and hemp extract, are becoming increasingly popular.

How he went from chemistry to cocktails and CBD

Paul: I graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 2008 with a degree in chemistry. I worked for USGS in La Crosse on an aquatic invasive species program. ... When Amy and I got married, I worked in Chicago at the medical examiner’s office and did toxicology studies. I moved into pharmaceuticals in Madison after moving there for Amy’s job.

I always wanted to start my own business. I started a (nutritional supplement) company with a friend of mine on the Madison Fire Department. Then COVID. I got a job at Octopi Brewing (a contract beverage facility). I was brought on to do CBD waters and those types of drinks.

I developed a recipe for an all-natural CBD emulsion, so that oils can stay stable and mix with water. I don't use any synthetics, all food-safe ingredients, and it stays stable over a few years. I helped a few brands bring products to life, and saw how the industry worked. I had a bunch of ideas for where the hemp beverage industry could go, and how we could make that more mainstream, how we could cater to what that is or is not in Wisconsin.

We are making functional beverages, specifically nonalcoholic cocktails that use hemp as an ingredient, instead of being a cannabis company.

RELATED: Wisconsin breweries and hemp shops are cashing in on increasingly popular THC seltzers

Big ideas behind the name

Amy: We named our business as a nod to our state motto with the idea we want to move the beverage industry forward in this state and make mainstream a nonalcohol brand that we can be just as proud of as Leinenkugel’s or New Glarus.

How quitting drinking inspired this new path

Paul: While working at Octopi I was the guy who signed off on the Brite tanks in the morning. ... I started drinking at 7 a.m. every morning. My job involved flavoring and creating new drinks most days of the week. I drank a lot. ...

I quit drinking in 2021. It just got to be too much. I don’t drink soda or sugary stuff, take alcohol off the table, and I’m not great with gluten, so NA beers are off the table. So it was always just water. We thought it would be nice to have an adult beverage that was still sophisticated and tasted good. If we had a desire for drinks like these and there was an absence, then others must be looking for them.

Why they chose Wausau

Amy: We met in 2011 in Holmen. I was the church music director. He had just moved back home. He sat in the back row. Each week he moved up a row. Then he joined the choir.

I had a master's degree in vocal accompanying. ... I was determined to move away from a small town. We lived in Chicago for a year, our first son was born there. We decided to move to Madison because all of our family is in Wisconsin. We moved for my job at a large parish there. Then Paul got an opportunity to run a lab in Wausau.

Paul: I wanted to do beverages. This company said there would be an opportunity. After a few months it was clear that wouldn’t happen. ...

Amy: We say right train, wrong station. What brought us to Wausau is not what kept us here. We have three boys: 9, 8 and 5. We mountain bike, ski and do things as a family. Wausau is perfect for us. We decided to dig into this community and something we love. I had quit all of my music jobs, so let’s just do this together. We went 100% all-in.

Paul: We knew the industry would get bigger. We were confident with my background in formulations, chemistry and supplements, that we would be OK. And if not, then we would both get jobs.

What you’ll find in the tasting room

Amy: The taproom is a visible presence in the community, with unique lighting, artwork from local artists, leather couches. ... This is a place for people to come and enjoy a drink, neither a coffee shop nor a bar.

What they want you to know

Paul: We don't use fake sugars. I’m not a fake sugar fan or stevia fan. I don’t do high-sugar things. We wanted to do cocktails that stood on their own without the alcohol. ... Mouthfeel plays a big role in that. Alcohol provides so much mouthfeel. You can’t just take it out and expect it to taste the same or have the same feel as the alcoholic version. ... We create our cocktails with quality ingredients. We don’t dilute with apple or white grape (juice), we use guava or passion fruit paste. ...

Amy: We call them soft cocktails, just as complex without the booze, and functional (social) seltzers because the functional part (with CBD, ashwagandha, and a full spectrum hemp extract) is a pleasant calm feeling that I relate to, not a high.

Paul: More potassium than a Gatorade, less sodium than a Gatorade.

Amy: Almost like a sports drink and a mocktail had a baby, the soft cocktail is made with real juice, natural extracts and electrolytes, slightly carbonated. I give it to my kids.

The first drink they developed

Paul: The In-Fashioned. The parameters for that was creating a drink that reminded people of Wisconsin’s official state cocktail, the old fashioned.

Amy: The brandy old fashioned sweet, with the cherries the way my dad would make it.

Paul: There is a large amount of alcohol to replace (for) the taste, texture and mouthfeel experience. It took a little bit of time. We used blood orange, tart cherry, and molasses to provide depth. It tastes pretty close.

Amy: It is my favorite drink. Paul doesn’t even like old fashioneds and he did a really good job making this one.

Paul: The name In-Fashioned, we wanted people to know it is OK to be sober and not drink. It is not a new fashion. It is in fashion.

The bestsellers

Amy: The In-Fashioned and Salted Guava Sour, they are both equally popular.

Paul: My favorite is the Salted Guava Sour. I made that one because when I was still drinking, I liked this guava gose beer.

How to drink and serve

Amy: We suggest serving them in glassware with a garnish. The In-Fashioned would be in a lowball. The Citrosa is our version of a mimosa, we showcase that in a champagne flute with an orange. The Spicy Jalapeno Passion Fruit we like in a margarita glass with a salted rim. The guava is in a pint glass with lemon wedge like a beer.

Here in our shop we have 100% aluminum recyclable cups. People can take their beverages to go and walk around downtown. We give a discount to people who come back with the cup.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wausau's Forward Beverage Co. offers canned, nonalcoholic cocktails