There's a beer, somewhere in San Francisco, made with wastewater from showers and sinks. We'd like to tell you it's a joke, but it's not: it's the brainchild of an American company that has created two beers using gray water. And we're not sure whether to be disgusted or fascinated, but let's take a closer look at what they've done.
The Unusual Secret Ingredient
Imagine waking up one morning and thinking, "Why don't we use recycled sink water as an ingredient in a beer?" Brilliant idea or crazy idea? The line is sometimes very thin, and we're not sure where they stand or how they came up with it, perhaps just to see the expression on the face of those who ask, "What's in it?" In any case, Epic Cleantec did it: they made a beer using recycled gray water from an apartment building.
A company focused on on-site water reuse solutions for the real estate sector in San Francisco, which, together with Devil's Canyon Brewing Company of San Carlos, California, has launched two very special beers: "Shower Hour IPA" and "Laundry Club Kölsch," names that are undoubtedly cute but don't exactly make them appealing. These two products, according to the creators themselves, are made "using ultra-clean recycled water " that is purified "with modern, cutting-edge technologies to ensure its purity," claiming that it is even "better than tap water in most American cities" (a little disgusting, when you think about it).
However, irony aside, the project was born with a noble goal: to give new life to water that can still be reused, as long as it is purified. Aaron Tartakovsky, co-founder and CEO of Epic Cleantec, emphasized how "buildings continue to discard perfectly clean water, with enormous reuse potential. By creating Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch, we're offering people a fun and accessible way to see recycled water in a new light. If a single great beer can change opinions, imagine the impact of these advanced water reuse technologies when implemented on a large scale." So, we don't know what it tastes like but what is certain is that the commitment to reducing food waste and recycling waste materials is fundamental and, therefore, yes, why not create a beer with gray water? Just forget about what it was in its previous life, that's all.
It's Already The Second Time
While it may seem a bit absurd, this isn't the first graywater-based beer created by Epic Cleantec. In 2022, it launched Epic OneWater Brew, similarly made with water from showers, sinks, and washing machines, which was then subjected to a purification process that included microfiltration, biological treatment, and UV disinfection. Unlike the two aforementioned beers, however, Epic OneWater Brew was never commercially launched: about 7,500 cans were produced in an experimental run, which nevertheless earned the company Time's Best Invention award and Fast Company's World Changing Idea award.
;Resize,width=767;)
