Singapore introduces us to “NEWBrew”, a beer made from recycled toilet water from sewage. The drink is made from “NEWater”, Singapore’s brand of drinking water which is made from sewage.
This alcoholic beverage is a collaboration between the country’s national water agency, PUB, and local craft brewery Brewerkz. It was first disclosed at a water conference in 2018. NEWBrew went on trade in supermarkets and at Brewerkz outlets in April. NEWater is a Singapore’s brand of drinking water where drinkable water is made from sewage. It was first started in 2003 from treatment facilities. “NEWBrew” employed “NEWater” for providing the recycled sewage water in order to produce this beer. According to PUB, this new beer is a drive to inform Singaporeans about the value of recycling and sustainable water use.
This recycling of water was first started from the treatment plants in 2003 to improve the island’s water security. PUB says the new beer is part of an effort to educate and make Singaporeans value the importance of sustainable water use and recycling.
But in the beginning, this concept of turning sewage water into drinking water was largely opposed. Gradually, it has now gained popularity over the past ten years as people understood the scarcity for fresh water which has come under growing pressure. Reports from the World Wildlife Fund showed that 2.7 billion people experience water scarcity for at least one month out of every year.
Advanced nations with scarce fresh water resources, like Singapore and Israel, have already executed this technology into their supplies. Cities like London and Los Angeles are about to consider and bring this technology of recycling into their systems too.
Singapore’s NEWater is made by disinfecting sewage with ultraviolet light and then passing it through advanced membranes to remove the polluted particles.
The key point to expand this technology is to convince the public that once the water has been processed, it is just the normal water which is drinkable.
Brewerkz head brewer Mitch Gribov said that NEWater will perfectly suit brewing because it tastes neutral. The mineral profile of NEWater plays a key role in chemical reactions during brewing as it tastes neutral. Brewerkz is stated as a “highly quaffable beer,” which is perfectly suitable for Singapore’s tropical climate. The beer is fresh and smooth and it has a toasted honey-like aftertaste.
Also, 95 per cent of the tropical blonde ale beer is made out of NEWater. It is done using the finest ingredients, that is, premium German barley malts, aromatic Citra and Calypso hops, as well as “kveik” which is a highly-sought-after strain of farm-house yeast from Norway.
Stockholm-based Nya Carnegie Brewery partnered with brewing companies such as Carlsberg and the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute to launch a pilsner made with purified sewage water. Village Brewery in Canada teamed up with researchers from the University of Calgary and the US water technology company Xylem to produce their very own kind of beer.
Reviews regarding the NEWBrew beer.
However, not everyone is convinced with this concept and technology. For instance, Low Yu Chen, a 22-year-old student from Singapore said that, “There are many kinds of beers around and if I wanted a beer, I’d pick something made of normal water.”
Although many others who have tasted NEWBrew as a sample said that they find it is a refreshing, light-tasting ale that is perfect for Singapore’s tropical climate.
Also a 52 year old lady named Grace Chen after sampling the ale said ,“If you don’t tell people it’s made from waste water, they probably won’t know”.
After the news of this newly brewed beer went viral,people went crazy all over the internet. The reactions coming out have been hilarious. Memes were rapidly made and shared throughout.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfbE3XHOcro/
However, NEWBrew is not the first craft beer to be made from recycled toilet water. Analogous drafts have been brewed before. According to The Straits Times, in San Diego, a craft beer company called Stone Brewing rolled out Stone Full Circle Pale Ale in 2017 where beer is made from recycled water. People have tried to raise awareness about food wastage through alcoholic beverages and to make the environment sustainable for the next generation.
