Aaron Tartakovsky is sipping a beer that has a golden colour and a flavor that is mildly fruity, much like many others.
However, it has a peculiar component: recycled sewage from a San Francisco tower.
As the American West struggles with a protracted drought that is made worse by climate change, the beverage was created to educate people about the “untapped” potential of water sources that may appear undesirable at first.
“Beer has brought people together basically since the dawn of human civilization,” the boss of recycling company Epic Cleantec told AFP.
Manufacturing the drink is an “incredible medium” to show the general public “in this age of climate change… recycled water is a really great way to make sure that our communities are secure for generations to come.”
The beer is made from water that comes from the sinks, showers, and washing machines at a 550-unit apartment complex in San Francisco.
The wastewater from the building is treated by Epic Cleantec in the basement, where a large portion of it is then returned to the 40 floors above for use in irrigation or toilet flushing.
Redirecting treated water to taps for drinking is against California law.
However, after filtering, the water is changed from a thick, muddy gray to a transparent liquid that “meets or exceeds federal drinking quality standards,” according to Tartakovsky.
To demonstrate this, he collaborated with a brewery to develop Epic OneWater Brew, a beverage modeled like German Kolsch beers.
