Craft beer made using NEWater on public sale for limited time, available from Apr 12
Called NEWBrew, the cans of tropical blonde ale feature one of three local water landmarks – the Marina Barrage, MacRitchie Reservoir and Singapore River.
This tropical blonde ale may taste exactly like you’d expect – fruity sweet undertones with a touch of bitterness.
But this isn’t one easily found off the supermarket shelf. What is special is that 95 per cent of this limited-edition craft beer is made using NEWater, Singapore’s high grade recycled water.
Called NEWBrew, it will be sold from Apr 12 to end-July at selected supermarkets, online stores and restaurants, said national water agency PUB and local craft brewery Brewerkz in a joint release on Friday (Apr 8).
Debuting back in 2018 during the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), NEWBrew was introduced in an American Pale Ale form to the public through a taste test challenge, which saw 70 per cent of 1,500 participants not being able to tell the difference between the beer and an alternative brand.
Tan Wee Han, CEO and owner of Brewerkz, said the drink then garnered strong interest and demand from the public for it to return in the future.
“NEWBrew is a showcase of the high quality of NEWater and is proof that sustainability can be delicious,” he said.
Though initially slated to come back in 2020, delays occurred due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the long-overdue launch, the type of beer was decided upon to suit Singapore’s tropical climate and engineered through focus groups and rounds of research and development.
To make the beer available not just at SIWW but also for public sale for the first time, the production of the beer was increased sevenfold to 10,000 litres, said PUB and Brewerkz.
“NEWBrew is possibly Singapore’s greenest beer and the perfect accompaniment to this year’s SIWW, with its key themes of climate resilience, resource circularity and water sustainability,” said Ryan Yuen, SIWW’s managing director.
“It is also part of PUB’s efforts to educate Singaporeans on the importance of water recycling and reuse as a strategy to achieve water sustainability.”
The beer will be sold at supermarket chains NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage, online platforms as well as Brewerkz’s restaurants and e-stores.
