Beyond Meat Is Now Making Protein Drinks, and Here's My Honest Review
I got an advance taste of Beyond Immerse, a new sparkling protein beverage from the plant-based brand.
Image Courtesy of Beyond
Here’s a product pivot you may not have seen coming: Beyond Meat is moving beyond its signature plant-based meat alternatives and into the functional beverage category.
Today, January 15, the brand released a line of sparkling protein beverages called Beyond Immerse. They’ll offer as much as 20 grams of plant protein per serving as well as 7 grams of fiber, plus antioxidants and electrolytes.
Available for a limited time only via Beyond’s direct-to-consumer website, Beyond Test Kitchen, the fizzy beverages come in three different fruity flavors: Peach Mango, Lemon Lime and Orange Tangerine.
What do we know about the new Beyond Immerse beverages?
Beyond Immerse is being billed as Beyond’s “first protein drink designed for the health-focused and wellness-minded,” tasting “crisp, refreshing and without any of the heaviness of a protein shake.” It is not the first sparkling protein beverage on the market.
Followers of the category will recall that Genius Gourmet’s Sparkling Clear Protein drinks, which offered 30 grams of protein per serving, went viral when they became available at Costco a short while back — although reviews of those on social media were mixed. Genius Gourmet’s beverage was often described as “thick,” whereas Beyond Immerse has a consistency more like sparkling water.
The new Beyond Immerse drinks contain either 10 grams or 20 grams of plant protein — with calorie counts of 60 and 100, respectively — in a single-serving, 12-fluid-ounce can. All the beverages in the line feature 7 grams of fiber per can, as well as plant-based ingredients such as pea protein and tapioca fiber.
None of the drinks contain GMOs or sugar alcohols — or fruit juices, for that matter, though the cans say they contain “natural flavors.” All the drinks also contain antioxidants and electrolytes and are said to be an “excellent source of Vitamin C for supporting immune function.” All are also dairy-free and vegan.
“Beyond Immerse is designed to support muscular growth and health, a balanced gut and immune function,” the brand promises.
What do the Beyond Immerse beverages taste like?
I had a chance to try the Peach Mango and Orange Tangerine flavors, though not the Lemon Lime flavor, in advance of their release.
Frankly, I wasn’t into the Peach Mango flavor (20 grams of protein, 100 calories). Something about it tasted off to me, and it had an aftertaste I found unpleasant. I managed to swallow only a few sweet, sort of strange sips before putting it down and declining to pick it up again.
The Orange Tangerine flavor (containing 10 grams of protein and 60 calories) was, however, quite palatable. (My tasting companion disagreed, finding both too sweet for his liking.) I found the taste of the Orange Tangerine Beyond Immerse sparkling beverage to be fresher, less heavy and cloying. Plus, it didn’t have the unpleasant aftertaste I found so off-putting in the Peach Mango flavor. It had a light carbonation and went down nice and easy.
Even though neither the Peach Mango nor the Orange Tangerine flavor contained any actual juice, the Orange Tangerine tasted more natural and less fake than the Peach Mango flavor did.
Bottom line: If offered the Orange Tangerine-flavor Beyond Immerse beverage again, I might accept. Unless I was super thirsty and it was the only drink available, though, I’d probably decline the Peach Mango.
How can you get your hands on Beyond Immerse beverages?
The beverages will be available for a limited time starting today, January 15, only via Beyond Test Kitchen, Beyond’s direct-to-consumer site and “destination for early access to new product innovations and limited-time drops.”
If you’re looking to get extra protein however you can, you may want to give them a try yourself. Maybe you’ll like them.
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