JoyBräu Protein Beer Review: Germany’s Pioneer Protein Beer Tasted and Compared

JoyBräu protein beer is the German drink that got protein beer started years before Optimum Nutrition ever thought about it. It launched on the TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen" (Germany's Shark Tank) back in 2016, picked up an innovation award at FIBO in 2018, and got bought out by one of Germany's biggest breweries in 2024. It also has one of the lowest reader ratings of any beer we have covered. Both things are true, and this review covers why.

What JoyBräu Protein Beer Actually Is

• What it is: a genuinely brewed non-alcoholic beer (water, barley malt, hops, yeast) with vegan amino acids fermented from yellow peas added for protein
• Who made it: two Hamburg founders, Tristan and Erik, who pitched it on "Die Höhle der Löwen" in 2016 and first brought it to market as "JoyBro" before rebranding to JoyBräu in 2020
• The pedigree: won the FIBO Innovation & Trend Award in 2018 (Lifestyle/Wellness category) and the International Taste Institute's Superior Taste Award in 2020
• The ownership change: in January 2024, JoyBräu was bought by OeTTINGER GETRÄNKE, a brewery that produces 7.5 million hectolitres a year, one of the biggest in Germany
• Current lineup: three flavours under Oettinger — Lemon, Grapefruit and a classic Lager — all brewed under the German Purity Law aside from the added protein

JoyBräu is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law) except for the protein itself, which comes from amino acids fermented out of yellow peas rather than a dairy source, making the whole range vegan. That is a genuinely different approach to Optimum Nutrition's pea-and-rice blend or Barbell Brew's whey, and it is one of the reasons JoyBräu picked up early media attention as a proof of concept, even before the taste reviews came in. It sits in the same broader non-alcoholic category as a standard near beer, just with protein bolted on top.

JoyBräu Protein Beer Nutrition Facts

This is the one place JoyBräu gets genuinely confusing, because the protein and BCAA numbers have shifted across flavours, years and reformulations. Here is what independent testers and can labels have actually recorded:

• At its highest tested figure, 21g of protein per can is more than double Optimum Nutrition's ChampionSips (10g) and close to Barbell Brew's 21.8g
• The protein comes 100% from plant amino acids (yellow pea fermentation), so it is naturally vegan and lactose-free, unlike whey-based competitors
• Brewed under German purity rules, JoyBräu still contains gluten from the barley malt — it is not a gluten-free option despite being dairy-free
• The current Oettinger-era spec sheet advertises 0.0% ABV, while older cans and independent lab-style write-ups list <0.5%, so check the can in front of you rather than assume either figure

What Does JoyBräu Protein Beer Taste Like

Pour a JoyBräu and it looks the part: a clean golden colour with a fine white head, nothing that gives away the protein hiding inside. The nose is where it starts to wander off script, a mix of bread and hay from the malt with a citrus lift on the Lemon and Grapefruit versions, more sweet than hoppy right from the first sniff.

The first sip is the giveaway. It comes in soft and a little flat, more like a Radler (a beer and lemonade shandy) than a proper pilsner, with the fruit flavour sitting up front and the hop bitterness that normally balances a beer barely showing up at all. Where a can like Optimum Nutrition’s ChampionSips still finishes crisp, JoyBräu finishes thin and noticeably sweet, and that sweetness only builds the longer you drink, a side effect of packing in that much amino acid and BCAA content. It is watery through the middle, a touch sour on some batches, and closer to an isotonic sports drink than a beer once it warms up in the glass.

That is the consistent read across every version we have come across, from the original Proteinbier through the Grapefruit, Lemon and Light cans, and it lines up with why the drink has picked up such a rough reputation among everyday drinkers even while it kept winning industry innovation awards. The awards panels judged it as a functional-drinks concept; the people actually cracking a can open judged it as a beer, and it comes up short on that measure every time.

• Do not go in expecting a normal beer: the added amino acids and BCAAs bring a sweetness that dominates whichever flavour you pick, and the hop bitterness you would expect is barely there
• JoyBräu currently sits at 1.54 out of 5 from 857 ratings, one of the lowest scores of any beer I’ve covered, and that original label is marked as no longer produced — likely the pre-Oettinger, pre-2020 recipe rather than the current range
• Awards panels (FIBO, the Taste Institute, Meininger's) have been consistently kinder to it than the beer itself tastes on the first sip

JoyBräu vs Other Protein Beers

Compared on paper alone, JoyBräu's top-end protein number is one of the highest in the category, on par with Barbell Brew and roughly double ChampionSips, Thrive or Lifted. What it does not have is the newer entrants' polish: Optimum Nutrition's launch leaned on tester feedback describing a genuinely drinkable pilsner first and a protein drink second, while JoyBräu's decade of reviews describe the opposite trade-off, a noticeably engineered taste that struggles to read as beer at all.

• See the full protein and fitness beers roundup for every entry in this category, including the ones built around BCAAs rather than raw protein
• If you are weighing whether any of this actually helps in the gym, here is what the research says about beer and muscle

Where to Buy JoyBräu Protein Beer

• Germany: the official JoyBräu shop ships within Germany only, via DHL, direct from OeTTINGER GETRÄNKE; it is also stocked in German supermarkets through Oettinger's retail distribution
• India: Muscle & Strength India lists a 330ml bottle at ₹299 (about $3.50), and Flipkart lists a 24-pack — but as of this review, both listings show the product sold out or unavailable to order, so treat India stock as inconsistent rather than a reliable channel
• US and UK: we found no official retail listing for either market; if you are outside Germany, the India-market cans are the only ones that turn up on marketplaces, and even those are not currently in stock
• If you want international shipping: JoyBräu's own terms say to email info@joybraeu.de directly for orders outside Germany

Our Verdict on JoyBräu Protein Beer

JoyBräu deserves credit as the pioneer of this whole category. It launched on national TV in 2016, years before a supplement giant like Optimum Nutrition took protein beer seriously, and it proved a real brewery could get meaningful protein into a carbonated drink well enough to win innovation and taste awards along the way. What it has never fully solved, according to nearly a decade of independent reviews, is making that engineering taste like a beer you would choose over a normal one. Being bought by Oettinger in 2024 gives it brewing muscle it never had as a start-up, so whether the current Lemon, Grapefruit and Lager range tastes meaningfully different from the versions reviewed here is worth revisiting once we can get a can from Germany.

FAQ

Is JoyBräu protein beer alcoholic?

No. JoyBräu markets its current range as a "real 0.0% alcohol product," though older cans and independent tests have listed it at under 0.5% ABV, the standard threshold for "non-alcoholic" in most markets.

How much protein does JoyBräu protein beer have?

It varies by flavour and by which era's formula you are drinking: independent tests have recorded 21g per 0.33L can for the original/grapefruit versions, 15g for the Lemon variant, and 7g for the Proteinbier Light. Check the specific can, since the range has changed more than once since 2016.

Who owns JoyBräu now?

OeTTINGER GETRÄNKE, one of Germany's largest breweries, acquired JoyBräu in January 2024. The brand was originally founded in Hamburg in 2016 and launched on the German TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen."

What does JoyBräu protein beer taste like?

Reviewers describe it as flat, sweet and lacking the hop bitterness of a normal beer, with the added amino acids and BCAAs contributing an artificial sweetness. Independent scores from other reviewers are consistently low, even though the brand has picked up innovation and taste awards from industry panels.

Can I buy JoyBräu protein beer outside Germany?

Officially, JoyBräu ships within Germany only. It has also been sold in India through Muscle & Strength India and Flipkart, though both listings currently show it as unavailable. There is no confirmed US or UK retail channel.