Great Moments In Brewing – Sewage Beer Debuts In Singapore

(Coureesy Brewerkz)

In 2022, Brewerkz, a local craft beer brewery in Singapore, joined forces with Singapore’s national water agency, the ironically named PUB, and crafted a beer they claimed proved that “sustainability can be delicious,” even when the water used comes from a toilet bowl.

Brewerkz, NEWBrew was (and still is) made of NEWater, which is Singapore’s brand of clean, high-quality recycled water. According to BBC News, it is made out of a liquid which is recycled from sewage, filtered, and pumped into Singapore’s water supply.

The water agency, PUB, which couldn’t be more appropriately named, took to advertising the brew as “urine beer” which we gotta admit is a bit strong.

NEWater, which was introduced by PUB in 2002, when more than 60,000 Singaporeans came together for a toast during a memorable National Day Parade, marking its 20th anniversary.

According to Brewerkz, NEWBrew was a “highly quaffable beer,” suitable for Singapore’s tropical climate, “with a smooth, toasted honey-like aftertaste.”

And 95 per cent of that tropical blonde ale was made out of NEWater, using “the finest ingredients, such as premium German barley malts, aromatic Citra and Calypso hops, as well as Kveik, a highly-sought-after strain of farm-house yeast from Norway”.

The beer first debuted in 2018 to commemorate the 10^thanniversary of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) according to the Straits Times and the Blonde Ale marked the event’s 2022 return.

SIWW managing director Bernard Tan was clearly excited that the commemorative beer turned out decently and that nobody got sick after drinking it…

“We are happy to partner Brewerkz to develop a special, one-off brew that we can all safely toast. We look forward to another decade of excellence at SIWW,”

NEWBrew was but the latest beer made with sewage water…

In 2017 Stone Brewing made headlines in the US with a “green” beer made with reclaimed sewage water.

And in 2018 Stockholm’s Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (a Carlsberg brewing facility that’s actually operated by Brooklyn Brewery), and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute debuted a beer they developed together brewed with recycled waste water.

So maybe “urine beer” is the future.

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(All image credits: Brewerkz)