San Diego-Based Stone Brewing, the ninth-largest brewery in the United States, recently unveiled its newest creation – a pale ale brewed using recycled water that “comes from the toilet.”

Aptly named ‘Full Circle’, the unique beer is made with 100% recycled waste water from the Pure Water demonstration plant in Miramar.

Chief brewer Steve Gonzalez admits being skeptical about using recycled water to make beer and asking for analysis results before even considering it, but says that Full Circle turned out to be one of his best works yet, probably in the top three pale ales he’s ever brewed.

Pat Tiernan, COO of Stone Brewing, says that, despite what people may think, the recycled waste water used to create Full Circle is actually better than what the brewery uses now. Also in the context of California’s long drought, having a reliable alternative to natural water is also a very big deal.

Gonzalez said that the recycled water used to make Full Circle needed only the addition of some salts to be perfect for brewing. 

As for the other ingredients, he used three malts and three different hops, including two exotic ones from New Zealand which give the pale ale a tropical note. The chief brewer added that, in contrast with the source of the water used for Full Circle, it is a “very clean tasting beer”.

“[I thought] that it would have an off taste or be something different to it … it’s outstanding,” taster Shane Trussell told KGTV.

“It is fantastic,” San Diego Mayor, Kevin Faulconer, added. “There’s no better way to highlight the purity of this water.”