It used to be a joke in college that we could only afford beer that tasted a bit like toilet water, but I’m not sure any of us would have been ok with drinking exactly that – no matter how good it was for the environment.
That’s exactly what Epic OneWater Brew is peddling with its kölsch-style beer made out of recycled wastewater, though.
Image Credit: EpicCleantec
Collaborators Epic Cleantec, a water recycling company, and beermaker Devil’s Canyon Brewing, the beer is made from greywater, which is typically waste from dishes, laundry, bathrooms, and sinks.
In this case, says Epic Cleantec CEO Aaron Tartakovsky, collected from a 40-story apartment building in San Francisco.
“We wanted to do something fun that was going to be an engaging tool to talk to people, to get them excited, but also that showcased the untapped potential of water reuse.”
Image Credit: EpicCleantec
People who have tasted the beer report nothing odd or off-putting about the final product, but I’m guessing people who have trouble getting their minds to stop going certain places might still have a bit of a struggle.
“I think a lot of people…were skeptical about the project or were hesitant to try it, but I would say 99 percent who came in feeling a little bit apprehensive, once they tried it, got really excited.”
Image Credit: EpicCleantec
If you’re someone who worries about the safety of drinking pre-used water, Tartakovsky says you definitely don’t need to be.
“A lot of times at a brewery, you turn on the tap and whatever water you get, that’s what you brew with.
In our case, we have so much control over the treatment process that we were actually able to treat to tweak some of the steps to give the brewers a blank canvas.”
It sounds like we should give it a try – for the environment, you know?
And if you’ve been poor in your twenties, you can rest assured that you’ve probably had worse.