'Pisner' New Beer Is Actually Made With 'Recycled Human Urine'

Beer is one of those things everyone loves, and few can reject. Even if you’re not a big fan of drinking you always have time for a beer. But even though beer is something pretty good, there has been some who have found out how to make it disgusting. As they have developed a way to turn pee into a beer calling it ‘Pisner’. We know that it’s usually the other way around, and probably it isn’t the best marketing strategy. But hey we’re talking about it so maybe it’s their win.

This beer was developed by a Danish brewery company called Nørrebro Bryghus. Usually, we are okay with anything that comes from Denmark. From cool ass Vikings and Lars Ulrich to utopic society system and delicious pastries. But even though the idea of a pee beer isn’t a very attractive one, making many us remember our teenage years when we got our first ones and said it tasted like it, it’s actually a very smart and for a good cause.

pisner human pee beer — Image Credit: Getty Images

Taking a leak, of beer

The microbrewery located in Copenhagen, have released this very “special” beer called “Pisner,” a very clever word-play name. The thing that makes their beer so characteristic, beyond its flavor probably, is that they use pee in their creating process. Despite the concern for many of us Nørrebro Bryghus are not using urine in the actual brewing process. Instead, they’re fertilizing their barley, that will eventually be utilized to brew the beer, with the piss.

So the beer doesn’t contain human waste. Since the pee is used for malting barley process as a fertilized, substituting the traditional animal manure or factory-made plant nutrients. Henrik Vang, the chief executive of brewer Norrebro Bryghus, said that they were flirting with the idea because they’re always looking to push further the company’s efforts to experiment with organic and recycled beers. “We wanted to test our brewers’ ability to make recycled beers,” he said.

Also, he added “The reason why we make this “Pisner” beer is because we are a craft brewery out of Copenhagen and about four years ago we converted into organic, so all our beers are organic today. We thought it would be a great idea also to go into recyclable beer. So we want to test our brewers and test our opportunities to make recyclable beer, so yes, that’s why”.

Obviously, the idea has many skeptics. Since a “recycled beer” or “pee beer” doesn’t sound very appetizing. But according to the company and many who have tried it it’s actually pretty good. “It tastes really good. It’s fresh and full at the same time and it’s a good beer,” said one beer taster, Birden Eldahl. Even Vang knows how crazy the idea is, but they’ve pulled it out now thy just have to convince the public. “When the news that we had started brewing the Pisner came out, a lot of people thought we were filtering the urine to put it directly in the beer. We had a good laugh about that“. An awkward one for many.

The power of Pisner

Luckily for the innovative method that Nørrebro Bryghus didn’t have many problems. As they got their fertilizing pee from 130.000 attendants of Denmark’s 2015 Roskilde Music Festival. Yes, they really need some marketing advisors. Nevertheless, they collected 13.000 gallons or 50,000 liters, of urine. Being enough for malting barley to brew around 60,000 bottles of Pisner. A “limited edition”. Even one of the concert-goers of 2015, Anders Sjögren, tasted a sample of the finished product. Claiming he couldn’t tell it was made with pee water.”If it had tasted even a bit like urine, I would put it down, but you don’t even notice,” he said.

This year’s Roskilde Festival is being held from June 24 to July 1. Counting with some major artists like Arcade Fire, the XX, Lorde, The Jesus and Mary Chain, the Weeknd, and Father John Misty. Head of Programme, Anders Wahrén, describes the incredible lineup for the upcoming Roskilde edition as “the most defining, challenging and relevant music in 2017”. Probably the guys from Nørrebro Bryghus got a deal with them and soon will be able to harvest and serve another round of Pisners.

But the concept of using human waste as fertilizer isn’t such a new idea. Since Denmark’s Agriculture and Food Council came up with the idea a long time ago. As a search for what could be a very sustainable model for breweries. They even came up with a name for the concept, “beercycling”. Definitely, this will be hipsters and Bear Grylls’ favorite beer. The “beercycling” process is also “cutely” illustrated on the label of each bottle of Pisner.

The release of the brewery’s Pisner goes along with some new Belgian researchers project. Who created a method for separating nutrients and water from urine in 2016. Hoping that this method will allow recycling urine, in order to provide clean and drinkable water. First to help rural areas, to create fertilizer, irrigate crops, and yes, to brew beer. Then, and hopefully, to help needed areas and third world countries.