San Francisco based Epic Cleantec has released the world’s first commercial beer made from recycled building water, with Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch now available in stores across California and online in 12 states. The beer uses liquid recovered from showers and laundry in buildings where Epic operates treatment systems, cleaning this wastewater through multiple stages including membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection, and advanced oxidation that destroys potential pathogens. The purification process uses the same NASA grade technology that recycles water for astronauts in space, transforming building wastewater into ultra clean water that meets or exceeds potable water quality standards. CEO Aaron Tartakovsky says the beer offers consumers an accessible way to understand water recycling potential, demonstrating that advanced technology can produce water pure enough for even the most quality sensitive applications like brewing.
Epic first tested the concept in November 2022 with OneWater Brew, an experimental run of 7,500 cans that earned recognition as a TIME Best Invention and Fast Company World Changing Idea before going viral on social media. The positive response convinced Epic to pursue commercial production with Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company in San Carlos, expanding from a one time pilot to ongoing availability at major California retailers including BevMo, Total Wine & More, and select Bay Area stores, plus distribution in 11 other states. Buildings worldwide consume 15 percent of all drinking water yet almost none of them reuse it, making Epic’s technology a powerful solution for water scarcity that captures billions of gallons currently wasted. Tartakovsky believes that if a single beer can shift how people think about water reuse, deploying the technology at scale could transform urban water systems by proving recycled water can meet the highest quality standards.
