June 30, 2022: Love beer? Then there is this new blond ale that is getting a lot of positive response from beer lovers of Singapore. But this beer is not the regular beer that you get that is made of hops, malted barley or wheat. This new beer is made with recycled sewage!

“NEWBrew” beer is made of NEWater, Singapore's brand of drinking water recycled from sewage, which first flowed from treatment plants in 2003 to improve the island's water security. PUB says the new beer is part of an effort to educate Singaporeans on the importance of sustainable water use and recycling.

The idea of processing sewage into drinking water, once largely resisted, has been gaining support in the past decade as the world's supply of fresh water is increasingly under stress. The World Wildlife Fund estimates 2.7 billion people find water scarce for at least one month a year.

Advanced economies such as Israel and Singapore that have limited fresh water resources have already incorporated the technology into their supplies. Cities such as Los Angeles and London are examining plans to follow suit.

Singapore's NEWater is made by disinfecting sewage with ultraviolet light and passing the liquid through advanced membranes to remove contaminant particles.

Breweries elsewhere have also made beer with recycled sewage. Stockholm-based Nya Carnegie Brewery partnered with brewing giant Carlsberg and IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute to launch a pilsner made with purified sewage, while Village Brewery in Canada teamed up with researchers from the University of Calgary and and US water technology company Xylem to roll out their own version.

Not everyone is convinced. While many youngsters said that they would still opt for the beers made of normal water, few who sampled NEWBrew, said they found it be refreshing, light-tasting ale that's perfect for Singapore's tropical climate.

The first batch of NEWBrew is already sold out on tap at Brewerkz restaurants and the company expects stocks at supermarkets will run out by the end of July.

What do you say? Would you like to try it?