PUB and Brewerkz partners up again to make NEWBrew, a craft beer made from NEWater, available to the public ahead of Singapore International Water Week 2022.
In 2018, a craft beer was unveiled at Singapore International Water Week that took the 24,000-strong delegation of the water show by storm. Called NEWBrew, the beer had a crisp and cleansing finish just like many of our favourite beers. It was a collaboration brew between Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) and local pioneering craft brewery Brewerkz, but what set off a ripple was the fact that the beer was made using NEWater.
NEWater is, of course, high-grade reclaimed water that is produced by further purifying conventionally treated wastewater using cutting-edge technologies, including micro-filtration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet irradiation. While NEWater has been introduced by PUB as part of Singapore’s water supply since 2002, Singapore International Water Week 2018 was the first time a beer was made with wholly NEWater.
Come Singapore International Water Week 2022, PUB and Brewerkz will again reprise NEWBrew and – unlike in 2018 when it was only available to delegates at the water show – make it available for sale to the public.
The 2022 NEWBrew edition will be a limited-release Tropical Blonde Ale, made using premium German pilsner and carapils malt, Citra and Calypso hops, and Kveik, a strain of farmhouse yeast from Norway that’s the current rage in brewing. Water used is again wholly NEWater. The result is a very quaffable beer at 5% ABV, with tropical fruit notes, a light and crisp bitterness (15 IBU), and a pleasant clean finish.
10,000 litres of NEWBrew will be made in this one-off batch.
When asked why a blonde ale, Brewerkz head brewer Mitch Gribov shared that the approachable beer style emerged top choice in an internal PUB and Brewerkz focus group, ahead of a Kölsch and pilsner. It was also a style that allowed the qualities of NEWater to shine, Gribov added, and without the need to tweak mineral content to replicate specific beer styles that may require a heavier water.
The limited-release NEWBrew 2022 Tropical Blonde Ale edition will be available for sale from 12 April to end-July 2022 at supermarket chains NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage, as well as online platforms and Brewerkz restaurants and e-store. The beer will be sold in packs of three cans, priced at $4.50 per can. There are three designs, each depicting an important Singapore water landmark: the Marina Barrage, the Singapore River, and MacRitchie Reservoir.
NEWBrew will also be served at Singapore International Water Week 2022, which runs from 17 to 21 April 2022.
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