fining agents

Fining agents.


Just curious as to the best clarifiers for mead or should I just keep racking it and let it clear on its own?

The best clarifier is time.
A fridge is second best.

Of the fining agents, I find Bentonite and Sparkolloid work well for me.

+1 for time

Most meads will clear on their own with time, but if you're impatient (which is not good for mead) or if it really needs help (like cocoa mead), I've used Liquor Quik Super-Kleer (mix of kieselsol and chitosan - helps precipitate both negative and positively charged particles) to great effect. Most of the time a single packet will clear things in less than 24 hrs...I had to do it twice on my cocoa mead.

My first attempt at a Cyser was really stubborn, took four or so attempts using Kwik-Clear (mix of kieselsol and gelatin). For most things though, as alreadfy stated, try the wait method first.

I don't use fining agents, I just let time work for me.
Regards, GF.

oops

So when you do decide to use a fining agent, when do you put it in your mead? I've read a couple opinions that it should be added before racking, but then again it seems sensible to do it after racking, toward the end of secondary fermentation (before bottling). At this point the initial sediment from primary fermentation has been removed, and the mead has been given more time to clarify on its own, leaving a minimum amount to be removed by the fining agent. Thoughts?

I would do so after backsweetening (if you do that), which itself should be done after stabilizing. The reason is that adding honey can sometimes re-haze the mead, and why would you want to increase the haze after you've started fining?

after backsweetening is the main one.
but also after primary if you need to get it off the yeast quickly. some yeast settle poorly or take up a lot of room. fining can help compact the lees so you can rack off the yeast easier. very handy if you stabilize the mead before backsweetening.

Has anyone here used either gelatin or egg whites as a fining agent? If so, how long did it take to clear? I've used bentonite and sparkolloid, and they seem to take weeks. Super Kleer KC is very fast--2-3 days and it's crystal clear.

i use kwik clear which is gelatin and keisol. works fairly quick. however i have added tannin and it went clear overnight.

Yeah, I use kwik clear and it's usually cleared what it will over night, though i tend to wait a few days to make sure

I have some super kleer, ill let you know how it works when I rack again next week. And ill have pics!