The 2nd annual Pure Water Brew competition took place at the Raccoon Lodge in Beaverton this Saturday.
Christina Belasco / OPB
Ever wanted to drink a beer that used to be part wastewater? You may get that chance soon.
Oregon's craft beer obsession expanded with the second annual Pure Water Brew Competition, which took place at the Raccoon Lodge in Beaverton Saturday.
The competition featured beer brewed by members of Oregon Brew Crew, Oregon's oldest home brew club. All of the beer was made from wastewater supplied by Hillsboro-based Clean Water Services of Washington County.
The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission voted unanimously in April to allow Clean Water Services to use recycled sewage for brewing beer.
The water goes through a stringent purification process featuring ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis and enhanced oxidation.
This treatment not only takes water purification to another level, it gives the brewers a little extra room for creativity.
"The reason brewers like it is that it's a blank palette," said Mark Jockers from Clean Water Services. Many brewers add minerals to the water, which like yeast, grain and hops, affects the taste of the beer.
This year, there were 25 beer entries in the competition. Here's a list of the winners and the beers they brewed:
1st place - Dean Ehnes, German Pilsner
2nd place - Jenn McPoland, Cascadian Dark Ale
3rd place - Douglas Franz, Belgian Pale Ale
4th place - Will Minderhout, Munich Helles