Boise Organization Uses Recycled Water to Make Beer & Cider

On Oct. 21, the City of Boise initiative Pure Water Brew Boise had their first tasting showcase. At the event, they offered alcoholic beverages made from recycled water. According to Boise Weekly, a sign at the event read, “all water aspires to be beer, but this water deserves it.”

According to Liv Boise, the Pure Water Brew Boise project uses water from one of the city’s water renewal facilities that is treated and cleaned to drinking water quality. The project uses treatment technologies to produce the safe, purified water. The water is then used to create new beers and ciders by different breweries including Lost Grove Brewing.

Tom Richards, a sales representative for Lost Grove, said his brewery ran toward the recycled water, rather than away from it.

“We wanted to really showcase the water that we got,” Richards said to Boise Weekly. “Because the water itself is super unique, we wanted to do a beer that was going to really emphasize how clean and nice that is.”

Richards said the product falls right in line with the company ethics.

“We try to be as sustainable as possible,” he said to Boise Weekly.

Another partner with Pure Water Brew Boise, Longdrop Cider President Chris Blanchard, agrees with Richards. Blanchard’s brewery offered blood orange-blackcurrant, cold brew coffee and honey-rhubarb ciders at the event, all made with the recycled water.

"We are an environmentally focused company; that's baked into our mission. We're working on B-corp certification right now. We also have pioneered up cycling fruit at our Washington State plant, so we've done a number of those types of things to try and demonstrate environmental leadership and sustainability," Blanchard said to Boise Weekly. "As far as we know, we're the first cidery in the country who's ever made cider from direct-reuse potable water, so that's super cool."

The Boise Pure Water Brew had four partners in total, the other two being Mad Swede Brewing and Barbarian Brewing. Other brewing companies were also in attendance, including Mother Earth Brewing Co. who served its own recycled water beer. The Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association was also at the event to answer any questions from customers.

"I think people are mindful and that's part of what makes Boise so special, people are mindful about our resources,"  said Colin Hickman, communications manager for Boise, said to the crowd at the event. "This has been an incredible pilot, to just see what does that next step look like in the ways that we can better utilize our resources and get the most out of every drop."