Californians are brewing beer from toilet water

A number of California beer makers are taking sustainability to new depths by crafting ale using water that literally “comes from the toilet.”

San Diego’s Stone Brewing company recently revealed its Full Circle Pale Ale, the brand’s first beer made exclusively from waste water.

The ultimate green beer taps Pure Water San Diego, a $3 billion program working to make one-third of the city’s water come from recycling sewage and waste water by 2021.

But the brewers swear you won’t slug their suds with the ultimate ale insult – that this beer tastes like piss. In fact, the brand’s senior manager of brewing and innovation told local news outlets the toilet-to-tap brew has “caramel notes, some tropical fruit notes. It’s a very clean tasting beer.”

The makers insist that the ultra purified water is even better than the water it uses now.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was one of the first to brave sipping the bathroom brew – and he dubbed it “delicious.”

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first beer bottled from toilet bowls.

Water sustainability is a big deal in California, which has been suffering almost annual droughts. In fact, neighboring San Diego San Diego brewer Ballast Point revealed its own pilsner on Monday that comes from the porcelain throne. Ballast Point’s Padre Dam Pilsner is recycled from purified water from the Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility.

And another California brewer, Mavericks Brewing, created their Tunnel Vision IPA during the 2015 drought.

“Recycled water is wastewater that has been purified,” Mavericks’ co-owner and co-founder Lenny Mendonca said at the time. “Recycling storm water, grey water and sewage for both potable and non-potable purposes is key to assuring sustainable water supplies in developed communities.”

And as long as we keep drinking – and relieving ourselves – of beer, the cycle of inebriation can continue.