Swedish brewery makes beer from sewage water

The latest news from Sweden might disprove the old theory that says that good tasting beer is down to water quality.

A Swedish brewery has made a pilsner from treated sewage water.

– We couldn't resist the challenge – a brewery representative said, explaining that one of the goals of the new beverage is to raise awareness of water shortages across the globe.

Pu:rest is Sweden's first beer brewed from purified sewage water. It has been produced by Stockholm-based brewery Nya Carnegiebryggeriet in collaboration with the Swedish Environment Institute (IVL).

The unorthodox take on one of the world's favorite beverages is meant to raise awareness about water shortages and the necessity for technologies for purifying wastewater to the level of normal tap water.

According to the creators of the "sewage beer" the idea is to shed prejudice, as many may be still skeptical over drinking purified wastewater, despite a technique in place to render this into a perfectly safe experience.

The water used in the beer comes from IVL's water cleansing venue, where it has been treated with a long chain of purification measures. After rigorous quality tests, the water was delivered to the brewery, where it saw the light of the day as a pilsner after four weeks.

Chris Thurgeson of Nya Carnegiebryggeriet said the company couldn't resist the challenge when faced with a proposal from IVL. According to Thurgeson, it only felt natural to brew Pu:rest, which the company described as "organic and crystal clear pilsner" with a "pure and nude" style.

Starting from July, Pu:rest will be available in limited edition in Sweden's government-owned chain of liquor stores Systembolaget. Additionally, the "sewage beer" will be featured in an array of pubs and at selected festivals, such as A Taste of Stockholm.

Nya Carnegiebryggeriet

Pu rest

Swedish Environment Institute

IVL

Chris Thurgeson

Systembolaget

A Taste of Stockholm

pilsner

beer

beers

Swedish beers

sewage water beer

waste water beer