Rebecca Manzi NewBrew is a particular beer that might turn people's noses up: it is in fact produced with water recycled from sewers and the aim is precisely this, to raise awareness of the importance of water recycling
@Brewerkz
During COP29, the ongoing climate conference in Baku, one beer has been making heads turn. It’s a Singapore-made one called NewBrew, and it is made using water recycled from sewage. There’s an obvious strategy at play: increasing public awareness of water recycling during times when this is increasingly becoming a global problem.
Singapore, known for its efficient environmental policies, has long grappled with a limited supply of freshwater. The densely populated city-state, devoid of natural resources, relies heavily on imports from Malaysia and desalination.
To reduce this vulnerability, Singapore has invested in cutting-edge technologies like NEWater, a system that converts wastewater into drinking water through microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection.
The production process: how NewBrew is made
The result of a collaboration between the country’s water agency, PUB, and Brewerkz, a local craft brewery, NewBrew first saw the light of day in 2018. Using NEWater-treated water as brew, the beer adheres to very strict standards laid down by the WHO. According to Mitch Gribov, a director at Brewerkz, neutral-tasting treated water goes quite well with brew.
This is done in three stages: microfiltration, which removes solid impurities; reverse osmosis, which eliminates even the smallest contaminants, including viruses and bacteria; and UV disinfection, a stage that sterilizes the water with ultraviolet light.
Despite early curiosity and skepticism, NewBrew has been a hit, selling out quickly in restaurants in Singapore. But it’s more than just a beer: it’s about breaking the stigma of reusing wastewater. Its core message is uncomplicated and urgent: treated water is just water, and it can be a sustainable solution to drought and water scarcity.
Water recycling technologies: a global perspective
Water recycling innovations aren’t exclusive to Singapore. In fact, countries like Germany, the United States, and Canada also try out similar systems to address the water crisis. However, Singapore stands out as a global model due to its seamless integration into everyday life and environmental policy.
NewBrew represents innovation and pledge for a sustainable future. This is much more than just an experimental product because it gets us to change our outlook towards natural resources by showing that waste could be converted into value.
