What’s better than an ice-cold beer inside a perfectly air-conditioned room on a hot San Diego day? How about beer made from water condensation from those AC units?
It's an unusual partnership between the San Diego International Airport and East Village Brewing Company.
"One of the things that some of our intrepid staff members noticed was that the condensation from the air conditioners on our jet bridges was just falling onto the ground, and it seemed like a lot of water was just falling onto the ground," said Gil Cabrera, chair of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
About 100,000 gallons worth of water, it turns out. Part of the Airport Authority's mission is to improve its carbon footprint and sustainability, so what to do with all that water?
"Some staff member that really should get a very big prize thought, 'Why don't we make beer from it?'" Cabrera said. "And this idea was born to transport some of that water to a local brewer and make some beer together."
On Tuesday, East Village Brewing unveiled two beers made from that collaboration — Hoppy Travels IPA, a West Coast IPA and Pre-Flight Pils, a German-style pilsner.
Aaron Justus, the chief brewer and owner of East Village Brewing, said condensate water was "some of the best brewing water that you can possibly get.”
It's even cleaner than tap water, he said.
“It's almost similar to rainwater, which is pretty clean," Justus said. "But beyond that, it was reverse osmosis. So ultra-filtered water and we use ozone as well.”
But in a beer town such as San Diego, taste is king. So, how do the beers taste? Crisp and clean, Justus said.
"It's perfect for pilsner, which traditionally has very soft water that has low minerality," he said. "And the IPA is also very dry because of how low mineral content — the low salinity of that water. And it really allows the hops to pop and shine."
This will be an ongoing partnership between the airport and East Village Brewing. Both Hoppy Travels IPA and Pre-Flight Pils are available now at East Village Brewing Company. And within the next few weeks, at Terminal 2.
If you want a taste, you'd better hurry.
"Lagers and IPAs are so popular in San Diego that I know these are going to sell very quickly," Justus said. "I guarantee that you sell very quickly."
