Words by Smiley Team
Yes, you read the headline correctly. A brewery in Singapore is recycling sewage into beer - all in the name of tackling water scarcity.
From a collaboration between Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, and a local craft brewery, Brewerkz, this innovative new beverage was first announced in 2018. Since then, the brewery has been hard at work perfecting its method in order to launch the drink for sale in April 2022.
Dubbed NEWBrew, it is made using recycled sewage water and is being used to highlight the water scarcity many people face today. The collaboration was launched in the hope that NEWBrew would educate the public on the importance of sustainable water use, and how we can recycle water.
NEWBrew is made from NEWater, a brand of recycled water by PUB that was first introduced in the early 2000s. NEWater is created by taking sewage water generated from homes and businesses and putting it through a rigorous sanitation process.
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This process begins with microfiltration, going through a series of steps to remove all harmful bacteria from the water. The sanitation ends with Ultraviolet Disinfection, where UV light is used to ensure the purity of the water.
Like NEWBrew, NEWater was created to raise awareness of water scarcity. Singapore is particularly vulnerable to water scarcity, as it is a densely populated city with few natural water resources, so recycling water where possible is particularly important.
NEWBrew is a blonde pale ale which has been immensely popular since it was released, and has inspired other breweries to create similar drinks from recycled water.
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