Water-to-Beer Pipeline
Epic Cleantec and Bay Area brewery Devil's Canyon have launched Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch—the first commercial beers made from recycled and purified building wastewater sourced from showers and laundries in California properties.
The products represent a pivot for water recycling technology into consumer beverages, demonstrating that purified wastewater can meet quality standards for potable uses. Both beers are now available in California retail locations and online nationwide.
Market Traction
The beers gained early exposure at this year's Super Bowl concert weekend in San Francisco, where they reached tens of thousands of fans. Epic says the recycled water beers "outperformed incumbent market-leading beers at events where it was served" and rank among the country's fastest-growing craft beers by growth rate.
The products have attracted celebrity and institutional attention: the beers were stocked backstage for performers including Calvin Harris, Diplo, Sean Paul, and T-Pain. San Francisco's mayor and UN representatives have also sampled the products.
Sustainability Angle
Epic Cleantec partners with Matt Damon's Water.org to donate a percentage of profits toward global water access initiatives. The collaboration aims to position the beers as tools for demonstrating advanced water recycling's dual potential: solving local water scarcity while supporting international sanitation access.
Why It Matters
For operators and retailers, this launch tests consumer appetite for sustainability-driven craft beverages in competitive summer beer season. The success or failure of high-novelty, purpose-driven products like these may signal whether water security messaging resonates at point of sale, or whether traditional quality and taste remain dominant purchase drivers.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors