Oregon Approves Beer Made From Sewer Water

Oregon's Clean Water Services has developed a project to recycle sewage water, and now, thanks to the approval of Oregon's regulatory authority, that process can be used by homebrewers to make beer.

According to Time, Clean Water Services has a "high purity" recycling program that can turn wastewater into potable water. It has been pushing for the recycled water to be used for beer, and this Wednesday the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approved the idea. Assuming a tasty beer can be produced from the recycled water, the product still will not be available for sale in bars, though. Clean Water Services plans to give the water to Oregon Brew Crew, a home-brewing club that will use it to make something tasty and refreshing. Any finished product would have to be tested to make sure it is safe for human consumption, of course, and it would reportedly only be served initially at tasting events.

Oregon previously allowed recycled wastewater to be used for growing crops and for industrial processes, but this is the first time it has been approved for human consumption.