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River water beer from local Chattanooga, TN breweries

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Head to Naked River Brewing Co. to try a beer brewed with river water | Photo by NOOGAtoday

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The superlative for “most likely to have a good time” goes to: the Tennessee River and local, craft beer.

And now, when you reach for a cold one while floating down the river, you can sip on a brew made with water from the riverthat’s what we call full circle.

🍺 Wait, I’m drinking river water in this scenario?

Yeah, but it’s gone through a rigorous filtration process. Let’s break it down.

  1. Water from the Tennessee River is collected + treated then distributed back to the community.
  2. Used water from homes and businesses + storm runoff is collected and treated by the Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus to be returned to the river.
  3. Some of the water from the campus is sent to Next Round Brewing for further filtration and repurposing.
  4. Local breweries — Five Wits + Naked Riveruse the water to create a craft beer with Next Round.

🍺 The 2 beers

  • Naked River | Nothing Wasted | Extra pale ale | Reclaimed water + local Tennessee pilsner malt blend together in this earthy, crisp brew with pineapple, orange and pine — get it on draft or in 12 oz cans at the brewery.
  • Five Wits | 3R | 5.6% summertime session IPA | This beer is available in 32 oz crowlers + $1 from each sale will go to Clear Chattanooga, a local effort to keep our water chain clean and clear using the 3R approach: restore, repair, and replace.

🍺 Where can I learn more about the river and our water systems?

  • Clear Chattanooga | This initiative includes major upgrades + revisions to portions of the wastewater system.
  • Tennessee American Water | Check annual water quality reports + visit the Water Learning Center.
  • WaterWays | Through restoration, education, and community, this organization empowers local citizens to make positive actions to protect + restore watersheds.

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