This New Beer Is Being Made With Purified A/C Condensation From the San Diego Airport
At the San Diego Airport, A/C condensate is being repurposed into IPAs and pilsners. Photo: Shutterstock/Pong Handsome
San Diego International Airport has teamed up with The East Village Brewing Company to create a pair of new beers made with purified condensate from the airport’s A/C system.
Clearly, innovation has no bounds.
The two new brews have been dubbed Hoppy Travels IPA and Pre-Flight Pils. Each is made from condensate that drips from A/C units onto jet bridges, condensate that is collected and then purified via reverse osmosis and ozone disinfection.
Aaron Justus, owner of The East Village Brewing Company, says that the bizarre technique serves a myriad of purposes.
“This collaboration checks all three boxes. It’s great to partner again with the airport, a pillar within our community filled with passionate and fun people. The condensate water is superbly pure and ideal for brewing. Plus, it’s no secret that California is in the midst of a long-term drought, so water reclamation is a creative way to reduce our water footprint here in San Diego,” said Justus.
Though we’re unsure what exactly the “superbly pure” essence of air conditioner condensate tastes like, East Village Brewing says that its Hoppy Travels IPA is brimming with flavors of grapefruit and guava, and that its Pre-Flight Pils pairs hints of lemon zest with a bready palate.
“We first partnered with the brewers of The East Village Brewing Company in 2019 when they brewed a beer called SAN Test Pilot using the condensate while working at another local brewery,” said Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority President & CEO. “The beer was very successful, selling out almost immediately, and since then we’ve been interested in collaborating again.”
The new beers are currently available on tap at The East Village Brewing Company and will soon be available at San Diego International Airport’s Terminal 2.
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