The beer was launched by Brewerkz in cooperation with Singapore’s national water agency to encourage sustainability
We saw the beer brand that gave a toilet stool, another that encouraged people to pee in their cans, then a Finnish brewery that makes goose poop beer, and poop wine from the Disgusting Food Museum. Now, there’s a new kind of beer: the one made from recycled toilet water.
As reported, “NEWBrew” is the name of this new Singapore blond ale made with recycled sewage. The alcoholic beverage is the result of a partnership between Brewerkz, a regional craft brewery, and PUB, the nation’s water organization. NEWBrew was first introduced at a water conference in 2018 and went on sale in April at Brewerkz locations and in supermarkets.
“I seriously couldn’t tell this was made of toilet water”, said Chew Wei Lian, 58, who had purchased the beer from a supermarket to try after hearing about it. “I don’t mind having it if it was in the fridge. I mean, it tastes just like beer, and I like beer”.
To increase the island’s water security, NEWBrew employs NEWater, Singapore’s brand of drinking water made from sewage that started flowing from treatment facilities in 2003. The new beer is a part of an initiative to inform Singaporeans about the value of recycling and sustainable water use.
The concept of turning sewage into drinking water, which was originally largely opposed, has gained popularity over the past ten years as the world’s fresh water supply has come under growing pressure. According to the World Wildlife Fund, 2.7 billion people experience water scarcity for at least one month each year.
Advanced nations with scarce freshwater resources, like Singapore and Israel, have already implemented the technology into their infrastructure. Cities like London and Los Angeles are considering whether to follow suit.
Singapore has adopted water recycling technology that purifies sewage water and turns it into drinking water. Before becoming drinkable water, the sewage water went through several phases of treatment, including UV ray disinfection and treatment.
The public must be convinced that water is merely water after being processed if the technology is to be expanded.
“NEWater perfectly suits brewing because it tastes neutral”, said Mitch Gribov, Brewerkz’s head brewer. “The mineral profile of water plays a key role in chemical reactions during brewing”.
Other breweries have also produced beer using recovered sewage. While the Village Brewery in Canada collaborated with scientists from the University of Calgary and the US water technology company Xylem to release their version, the Stockholm-based Nya Carnegie Brewery launched a pilsner made with purified sewage in collaboration with the world’s largest brewery Carlsberg and the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
But not everyone is convinced. “There are many kinds of beers around”, said Singapore student Low Yu Chen, 22. “If I wanted a beer, I’d pick something made of normal water”.
However, according to many who have tried NEWBrew, it is a light, refreshing ale ideal for Singapore’s tropical environment.
“If you don’t tell people it’s made from wastewater, they probably won’t know”, said Grace Chen, 52, after sampling the ale.
However, you might have to act quickly if you’re in Singapore and want to try it for yourself. Brewerkz restaurants have already run out of the initial batch of NEWBrew on tap, and the business anticipates that supermarkets will run out of the beverage by the end of July. Before choosing whether to produce another batch, the brewer said it will gauge the reaction from the market.
Anyway, apart from the usefulness of the cause, it seems difficult to have to accept the idea of drinking something that comes exactly from the last place you would think of drinking which is also the opposite side from which you ingest it.
