David asked 2 years ago What is the water profile here in Lafayette? I just moved here and can’t find it online, and LUS isn’t very helpful. Am guessing pH is at or above 6.5? but can’t get any info on salts. Any insight would be much appreciated. I heard you guys would know if anyone here does. Thanks!
Mont Y. Märzen Staff answered 2 years ago One of our members has a LaMotte Brewlab water testing kit that we’ve been using for a couple of years. We need to retest, but we’ve had decent success with the following results from 2-28-2020:
Ca+2: 80ppm (as CaCO3)
Mg+2: 30ppm (as CaCO3)
NA+: 52ppm
CL-: 35ppm
SO4-2: 0ppm
Alkalinity: 160ppm (as CaCO3)
pH: 8.66
If you use the Brewer’s Friend Advanced Water Calculator, this profile is uploaded and shared so you should be able to find it. I update the LUS profile after each test.
Ideally, because we draw from an Aquifer, we’d want to test at least 4 times per year, but we haven’t noticed too much variation so far that would alter your brewing salts by more than a tenth of a gram or so, which is too low to detect in homebrew sized batches.
pH can vary as slightly below 8 to the 8.66 we measured, but that too results in very little additional acid needed for most styles. (we have a meter and test before each brew, but that turns out to be just for kicks as adjustments are rarely needed from our original targets.)