When people want to drink with friends without really “drinking,” they have two options: telegraph their sobriety with a Perrier-like beverage, or keep things buzzing with a fun, attitude-amplifying non-beer brand. Today, a new product launching out of Dallas aims to do the latter, big-time.

Aiming to prove that “fun is a feeling, not a ‘drink’,” Dallas-based Dillon Dandurand has founded Not Beer—a new, no-buzz beverage that “looks like a beer, feels like a beer, tastes like premium American sparkling water.”

At a glance, the cans have the fun, grab-and-chug look of an all-American beer. And hey, the word “BEER” is right there in ALL CAPS (admittedly, with a Not on top of it). But be assured, what Dandurand calls “the world’s first zero carb, zero alcohol, zero taste… ‘beer'” is actually a healthy alternative to brewskis.

Photo: Not Beer

Inside each can is sparkling water that’s purified through reverse-osmosis and “infused with minerals & electrolytes for taste and optimal hydration,” the startup says. Not Beer is being launched on Amazon, the brand added, in order “to instantly access customers across the country,” expanding its market “without the need for physical distribution channels.”

Follows $1.4 billion valuation of sparkling water brand Liquid Death

Today’s launch of Not Beer comes one month after Liquid Death—another sparkling water brand with attitude—got a valuation of $1.4 billion after announcing $67 million in new funding from investors including actor Josh Brolin, NFL wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and the entertainment group Live Nation. 

So while Not Beer’s launch may seem like cheeky fun, there could potentially be gold in its taste-free, attitudinal offering.

Dillon Dandurand, founder of Not Beer [Photo: Not Beer]

$1.8 million in pre-seed funding raised

Dandurand, Not Beer’s founder, is a co-founder of Brami, a line of Italian pastas, lupini dips, and lupini beans. With over eight years of experience building a food and beverage brand, the founder has “raised $1.8 million dollars in pre-seed funding” and believes he’s on fertile ground for his Not Beer launch.

“Dallas is the perfect place to launch Not Beer,” Dandurand told Dallas Innovates. “DFW is a major, growing metroplex, so it’s a large market where you can build a really solid business. But it’s not quite as ultra-competitive as the other mega U.S. markets like New York and Los Angeles. For Dallas’ size, there aren’t that many great CPG brands. I think Not Beer can seize this opportunity and galvanize the people of Dallas to become THE CPG brand of Dallas. Plus, I was born and raised here, so it’s authentic to my roots.”

Being an entrepreneur is in his roots, too. Dandurand’s parents, Curran Dandurand and Jeff Dandurand, are the founders of Jack Black, the premium men’s skincare line.

‘Normalizing water in social settings’

Photo: Not Beer

One thing Not Beer is battling: “Big Booze”—which the startup says has “shaped our unconscious beliefs that alcohol is synonymous with fun, selling a world where the women are hotter, the music is louder, and the jokes are funnier.”

Not Beer begs to differ. Aiming to “normalize water in social settings through bold design and cheeky messaging,” the brand says it “has all of the fun, without any of the carbs, hangover, or regrets,” flipping the notion that “fun depends on what’s inside the bottle.”

Or in this case, the can.

A recyclable can amid a plastic-clogged bottled water landscape

Not Beer notes that bottled water is “the largest beverage category and is riddled with single-use plastic.”

Not Beer designed its “American-made,” 100% recyclable aluminum cans to be ecologically friendly—and also “to blend into the party, allowing people to enjoy their night without the constant ‘why aren’t you drinking?’ question.”

Not Beer said its cans are priced at $19.99 for an order of 8 on the Amazon platform. You can get a taste of the company’s beer-like video branding on its website.

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