Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch are craft beers brewed with highly purified recycled water sourced from showers and washing machines in California buildings. Developed by Epic Cleantec in partnership with Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, these beers are designed to spark conversations about water reuse and demonstrate the safety and quality of recycled water.
Epic Cleantec aimed to address the "yuck factor"—the instinctive hesitation people feel about recycled water—by brewing beer with it. The project was intended to shift perceptions and show that advanced water treatment can produce water clean enough for high-quality beverages.
The water used for Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch undergoes a rigorous, multi-step treatment process, including reverse osmosis, to ensure it is ultra-purified and safe for brewing and consumption.
Shower Hour IPA has an ABV of 6%, while Laundry Club Kölsch has an ABV of 4.6%.
Shower Hour IPA uses Azacca® hops (which require less water and have robust disease tolerance), fonio (a drought-tolerant, quick-growing ancient grain), and Kveik yeast (which ferments quickly at warm temperatures, reducing energy use). These choices make it one of the most sustainability-forward IPAs available.
The water is sourced from the showers and washing machines of California buildings equipped with Epic Cleantec’s water reuse systems. It is then treated to the highest levels of purity before being used in brewing.
OneWater Brew received an overwhelmingly positive response, going viral with over 3.5 billion media impressions. It was featured on TIME’s Best Inventions list and recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea, helping to shift perceptions about recycled water.
Beer is a familiar and approachable beverage that creates opportunities for real conversations. By letting people taste a beer brewed with purified recycled water, Epic Cleantec makes the science of water reuse tangible and helps overcome misconceptions about recycled water.
Yes, both beers are available for purchase online through Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company. Buy Beer
The main goal is to promote wider acceptance of water recycling technology by making the benefits of recycled water tangible and relatable, ultimately encouraging its adoption in buildings and communities.
By allowing people to experience the taste and quality of beer brewed with recycled water, the project helps shift perceptions from skepticism to acceptance, demonstrating that recycled water can be safe, clean, and enjoyable.
OneWater Brew, Epic Cleantec’s first recycled water beer, was named to TIME’s Best Inventions list and recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea. The project also generated over 3.5 billion media impressions.
Using recycled water in brewing demonstrates the potential for sustainable water management, reduces reliance on municipal water supplies, and highlights the importance of water reuse in addressing water scarcity and environmental challenges.
Epic Cleantec’s technology uses advanced, multi-step treatment processes—including reverse osmosis—to purify wastewater from buildings, making it safe for reuse in applications such as brewing, irrigation, and non-potable uses.
The project draws attention to water scarcity, the limited availability of freshwater, and the fact that nearly 80% of global wastewater is discharged untreated. It emphasizes the need for innovative water treatment and reuse solutions to support growing communities and ecosystems.
The beer project serves as a storytelling tool to make water reuse technology more relatable, supporting Epic Cleantec’s mission to redefine water management and promote sustainable, circular water economies in buildings and communities.
Fonio is a drought-tolerant, quick-growing ancient grain that supports soil health, while Kveik yeast ferments quickly at warm temperatures, reducing energy use. These ingredients enhance the beer’s sustainability profile.
Epic Cleantec employs advanced treatment technologies, including reverse osmosis and multi-step purification, to ensure the recycled water meets or exceeds safety standards for brewing and consumption.
Epic Cleantec hopes to show that sustainable choices can be enjoyable and accessible, and that water reuse technology can play a vital role in addressing water scarcity and environmental challenges.
You can learn more about Epic Cleantec’s technology and solutions by visiting their technology page and exploring their project case studies.
Epic Cleantec offers onsite water reuse systems that recycle up to 95% of wastewater, modular and scalable designs for any building size, compact footprints, energy efficiency, full automation, customizable components, and end-to-end project support including design, permitting, installation, and ongoing operations.
Yes, Epic Cleantec also offers soil amendments by upcycling wastewater organics into nutrient-rich soil products, wastewater heat recovery for improved energy efficiency, and comprehensive operations and maintenance services.
Epic Cleantec’s systems can recycle up to 95% of wastewater, significantly reducing water consumption and reliance on municipal water supplies.
The systems are modular and scalable, capable of processing flows from 1,000 to 30,000 gallons per day, making them suitable for a wide range of building sizes and applications.
Yes, Epic Cleantec’s systems are fully automated, requiring minimal manual oversight and enhancing operational efficiency for building owners and operators.
Epic Cleantec’s solutions are ideal for real estate developers, property owners, architects, engineers, sustainability consultants, community-scale developments, corporate campuses, hotels, universities, wineries, breweries, distilleries, stadiums, and data centers seeking to reduce water costs and improve sustainability.
Customers can expect significant cost savings on water and sewer utilities, enhanced sustainability profiles, alignment with ESG goals, operational efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and resilience to water scarcity. Many achieve ROI within 3-7 years.
Epic Cleantec addresses water scarcity, rising utility costs, aging infrastructure, sustainability certification requirements, environmental impact, and operational efficiency challenges for building owners and developers.
Epic Cleantec’s solutions have been implemented in projects like Salesforce Tower (San Francisco), The Brady (San Francisco), The Campus at Horton (San Diego), Kuilei Place (Honolulu), Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and Chorus (San Francisco), delivering measurable water savings and sustainability benefits. See case studies.
Industries include commercial real estate, residential real estate, hospitality, mixed-use developments, and community-scale developments. See all industries.
Implementation timelines vary by project, but Epic Cleantec’s process is designed to be simple and efficient, with no upfront costs and comprehensive support from data collection to installation and ongoing operations.
Epic Cleantec provides spec sheets, Revit files, technology overviews, and integration guides for its OneWater™ system. These resources are available for download on the Epic Cleantec website.
Integration considerations include three-way valves for diversion, sufficient storage, waterproofing, safety showers, operator/lab sinks, foul air treatment, high-speed internet, leak detection, and ongoing operations and maintenance. Details are provided in the technical documentation.
Epic Cleantec stands out with modular and scalable systems, compact footprints, energy efficiency, full automation, customizable components, and comprehensive end-to-end services. These features make it suitable for a wide range of building sizes and industries.
Customers choose Epic Cleantec for its proven track record, high water recycling efficiency (up to 95%), cost savings, support for sustainability certifications, alignment with ESG goals, and trusted partnerships with leading organizations.
Epic Cleantec is trusted by organizations such as Salesforce, Crescent Heights, Forge Development Partners, The Green Cities Company, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and more. See full customer list.
Yes. For example, Salesforce Tower in San Francisco features a 30,000 GPD water recovery system, The Brady recycles over 6,000 gallons daily, and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills reuses over 438,000 gallons annually for landscaping. See more case studies.
Epic Cleantec is committed to shifting the narrative around water reuse and overcoming one of the biggest barriers to wider water reuse adoption: the so-called “yuck factor” — that instinctive hesitation people feel when they hear the phrase recycled water.
So in 2022, we decided to tackle the issue in a novel way: by brewing beer with it.
Working with the award-winning team at Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, we created OneWater Brew, a premium craft beer made with highly purified recycled water that was collected from the showers and washing machines of a San Francisco high-rise building. The water went through a rigorous, multi-step treatment process to ensure it was ultra-purified before getting sent off to the brewery.
We honestly weren’t sure what to expect in the reception of this beer. Would people be open to trying a beer made from recycled water? Or would the “yuck factor” keep them away?
The answer was clear after the first sip. Most people’s curiosity quickly turned into excitement, as OneWater Brew sparked meaningful conversations about the perception of recycled water. It also helped that the beer was light, crisp and had a deliciously fresh taste we could only credit the water quality with providing.
What started as a one-time awareness project to show how safe and clean recycled water can be quickly took on a life of its own. The beer went viral, racking up more than 3.5 billion media impressions, earning a spot on TIME’s Best Inventions list, and recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea. It was poured at events across the country and, most importantly, helped chip away at long-held misconceptions about recycled water.
With demand for the beer pouring in, we decided to take the next step and move to a commercial product line. But this time with a bold new twist: directly calling out where this water came from to truly test the bounds of acceptance.
We’re proud to introduce our two new recycled water beers: The Shower Hour IPA (ABV 6%) and the Laundry Club Kölsch (ABV 4.6%).
And they’re not just conversation starters; they’re carefully crafted, sustainably minded beers.
The Shower Hour IPA, for example, uses:
These choices make it one of the most sustainability-forward IPAs you can buy without sacrificing flavor. Together, these beers aren’t just about great taste. They’re about starting conversations, reshaping perceptions, and showing just how far water innovation has come.
Water recycling is often misunderstood. People hear “recycled water” and think of wastewater pipes, not crystal-clear, safe-to-drink (technically) purified water. In reality, advanced treatment technologies, like the ones built into Epic Cleantec’s systems, produce exceptionally clean water.
Explaining that in a technical spec sheet doesn’t always land, especially for some that are not well versed in all things water. That’s where beer comes in. Sharing a pint is universal, approachable, and familiar. It creates space for real conversations about what water reuse looks like with something people are familiar with. When someone tastes a beer brewed with purified recycled water and says, “This tastes amazing,” or “I would have never known it was made with recycled water,” suddenly, the science becomes a lot more tangible. When we can shift perspective from negative to positive, it creates acceptance among a larger group of people.
Ultimately, that’s our goal: a wider acceptance for water recycling technology in our buildings and communities as the standard, not the exception. These beverages allow people to experience firsthand the possibilities of recycled water, while reinforcing that sustainable choices can be made in everyday life.
These beers just for fun. The need for innovative water treatment solutions is more urgent than ever.
Water is often described as a renewable resource, but in reality, it’s finite. The amount of water on Earth today is the same that’s been available for billions of years. What changes is where that water is, how clean it is, and how accessible it is to people and the environment. We need water to further develop our growing communities, and to sustain people, ecosystems, and economies for generations to come. It’s time to rethink how we use, treat, and reuse our water.
The success of OneWater Brew proved that people are ready to embrace water recycling solutions. Our new beers take the idea further: reminding people that the everyday activities like showering and doing laundry produce huge amounts of water that can be captured, cleaned, and reused. The water that went into Shower Hour and Laundry Club was sourced from the washing machines and showers of our California projects and treated to the highest levels of purity, including a reverse osmosis treatment.
We had so many people tell us that the OneWater Brew campaign changed the way they think about water. And that’s exactly the point. If we can shift perception over a pint, we can unlock more acceptance for recycled water across industries, communities, and cities.
The Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch are more than just beers. They’re storytelling tools, science lessons, and invitations to think differently about our most essential resource. As we continue to install and operate more water reuse systems in cities across the United States, we want these beers to remind us that big change often starts with small, shared moments; a conversation with a friend, a toast at an event, a first sip that makes you rethink everything.
So, the next time you raise a glass, remember: the future of water is not about scarcity. It’s about creativity, resilience, and reuse. And it might just taste like your new favorite beer.
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