THE $120 million Bluetongue brewery taking shape at Warnervale will be one of the most water-efficient in the world, says manufacturing director and chief brewer Tim Williams.

Mr Williams says that where traditionally breweries have needed eight litres of water to make one litre of beer, an innovative water recovery system being constructed on site at Warnervale will enable Bluetongue to target a ratio of one litre of water used for every litre of amber liquid produced.

"We'll be aiming to be among the top 10 breweries in the world as far as water efficiency goes," he said.

"We'll definitely be the most efficient in Australia."

With the brewery situated in an area in which water resources have become increasing scarce in recent decades, Bluetongue marketing manager Sarah Dennis says her company even hopes to one day be able to put water back into the community, for uses such as irrigating sporting fields at local schools.

Mr Williams said the brewery would also be able to capture and re-use some of the methane released as a by-product of the beer-making process, lowering the facility's overall carbon footprint.

Owned by Pacific Beverages, a joint subsidiary of Coca-Cola Amatil and brewing giant SAB Miller, Bluetongue is relocating to Warnervale after outgrowing its base at Cameron Park, near Wallsend.

Ms Dennis said the new brewery would create from 15 to 20 new jobs, which attracted overwhelming interest when positions were advertised last year.

"We had about 800 applications," Ms Dennis said.

Brewing is due to start in mid-May, with the first batch of ginger beer, lager, pilsner and new light beer expected to be bottled by mid-June.

By the end of the year, the brewery will be able to produce one million stubbies of beer each day, more than 10 times the current maximum output of 84,000 at Cameron Park.

The brewery will be able to fill 800 bottles per minute, or 48,000 every hour.

The finished complex will include a cellar door and visitor centre, with brewery tours planned for later stages of the development.