Water In Brewing

The Water In Brewing exhibit opened at the Brews & BBQ event earlier this year.  However I thought I would take a few moments to explain the exhibit globally and how it was made.

This exhibit was born out of a brainstorming meeting that was held with community members at the 1912 Center in order to focus the LCHS programming for the Water|Ways exhibit in December and January.  This exhibit looks at the differences in water in Latah County as they pertain to brewing beer.

The first step in creating this exhibit was collecting samples from across Latah County.  I collected samples from the following lotions:



After collecting the samples in clean canning jars I analyzed them using a home chemical identification kit.  The samples were analyzed for Calcium, Alkalinity, Sulfate, Chloride and Kolback Residual Alkalinity.  Using these five factors I was able to determine the best types of beer that could be made with this particular water sample. 

The samples and information were presented at the Brews and BBQ event earlier this year and will be on display around the county in various places later this summer.

Water In Brewing installed at the Latah County Historical Society Brews and BBQ event April 9, 2016.

Zachary Wnek
Museum Curator
Latah County Historical Society