PUB and Brewerkz bring back NEWBrew, urges Singaporeans to get brewing

Singapore’s national water agency PUB has partnered with Singapore brewery Brewerkz to bring back NEWBrew (beer made with NEWater) for Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2020.

Brewerkz was asked to produce 10,000 litres of NEWBrew for SIWW 2020, which will be served to delegates attending the show. PUB has also partnered with NTUC FairPrice to make a limited run of canned NEWBrew available for public sale at selected FairPrice outlets in July 2020. This comes after PUB received positive feedback when it first launched NEWBrew at the 2018 show.

PUB will also be working with Brewerkz to organise a "NEWBrew Hopularity Contest", which allows Singapore homebrewers to come up with their own version of the NEWBrew with two ingredients: PUB’s NEWater and Brewerkz’s recipe. The entries will be judged and the winning brew will become the version that Brewerkz will go on to produce for SIWW 2020. In a statement to Marketing, Ryan Yuen, managing director of SIWW, said the most interesting and delicious taste profile will be crowned the champion.

According to Yuen, PUB's publicity efforts to promote NEWBrew will focus on driving greater public understanding about NEWater, reinforcing that it is clean and safe for drinking, and can also be used to make beverages like beer. He added that the promotion of NEWBrew is in line with PUB's efforts to educate Singaporeans on the importance of water recycling and reuse, as a strategy to achieve water sustainability. 

Tan Wee Han, CEO and owner of Brewerkz, said the brewing contest is introduced to highlight that water quality is critical to its product in an innovative way. "NEWater is symbolic to all Singaporeans as it plays a part in our everyday lives and is synonymous to our country’s innovativeness and resourcefulness. We are proud of this collaboration between Brewerkz and SIWW," he added.

Last year, PUB touched the hearts of Singaporeans with its moving Hari Raya film. The film aimed to highlight the bond of kinship, and was part of PUB’s year-long water conservation campaign, “Make Every Drop Count”. Through the narrative of the film, PUB aims to engage the hearts of Singaporeans and inspire good water conservation habits.

(Read more: PUB turns the use of water into metaphor for family ties this Hari Raya)