We Tried C4’s (Non-Alcoholic) Beer Energy Drink

Last month, we covered the revelation that C4 Energy was releasing a beer-flavored “All Hopped Up” energy drink. I hesitantly agreed to accept samples for a review and genuinely thought I’d escaped what felt like a cosmic punishment when these energy drinks didn’t hit my porch within a few weeks. Unfortunately, as all our favorite scary movies have taught us, you can’t escape your past. A special delivery from C4 arrived this week, meaning I can no longer run from my fate. Let’s crack open a cold one.

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C4 All Hopped Up (Not Beer, But Tastes Like Beer) Energy Review

New C4 Energy!

For the second time this week, I’m ditching the standard “Pros/Cons” format in favor of an extended rant about how confused I am that the drink I’m reviewing exists. If I had a nickel, etc. etc.

This tastes like beer. This tastes so much like beer that I think non-alcoholic beer manufacturers should take notes. I’m not a beer person, but my understanding of light beer boils down to “the more of it you drink, the better it tastes”. That strategy does not naturally extend to these energy drinks, of which you can drink no more than 2 per 24-hour period (if you’re following the FDA’s recommended caffeine limits for adults, which my doctor has strongly recommended I do). Even if you could, I don’t think caffeine has the same flavor-magnifying/mood-affecting power that alcohol has.

Over 9 times out of 10, I finish the full serving of any food or drink I review here on Sporked, both because my opinion of a product can (and often does) change between the first and last bite, and because I’m intrinsically against food waste. I can count the number of energy drinks I’ve poured down the sink on one hand with fingers to spare. Unfortunately, this new C4 offering is joining that hall of shame.

Folks, this is without a doubt the least enjoyable C4 Energy I have ever drunk. The flavor is also impressively authentic to the beer it’s pretending to be. By default, it’s the most accurate beer-flavored energy drink I’ve ever had. So if it gets a 0/10 for taste and a 10/10 for accuracy, where do we land?

Credit: Griffin Parker / C4 Energy

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

Where do I get C4’s beer-flavored energy drink for myself?

If you want to try this feat of flavor science, you’ve got two options: C4’s webstore or Amazon. The beer-inspired C4 All Hopped Up Energy is, fittingly, only available in 6-packs; no matter which retailer you go to, the pack will run you $14.99. Word of advice: make sure you have five friends who like trying really weird energy drinks before you pick up this 6-pack.