When to add bentonite?

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DirtyOTG

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Hello all, probably going to start my first ever batch of cider tomorrow. Correct me if I'm wrong, but bentonite is supposed to be added after racking into the secondary right? I'm also curious to hear about how well it works. Thanks, Jason.


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You don't need to use bentonite if it clears on its own. I use bentonite as a last resort if time doesn't clear it up. I have a batch of cider from this year's harvest that cleared itself up perfectly in a few weeks.

If you must use bentonite, you can use it any time you want, but I'd wait for it to clear up as much as it can by itself so the bentonite has less work to do. Get the cider really cold (put it in your fridge if you can, or on your porch if it gets cold where you live), then mix in the bentonite. It works much better when it is cold. Stir it up several times the first day, then let it settle out.
 
I made my first batch of cider from fresh pressed apples this fall. It was cloudy. Used Knox's gelatine on it a few weeks after racking into secondary and it cleared beautifully. A few weeks later I pressed two more five gallon batches and added pectic enzyme when I pitched the yeast. It is still in secondary and has cleared nicely.
 
Good to know. I'll just give it some time on its own and see how it goes. Thanks guys!

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I did a bunch of research on bentonite about a month ago. It needs agitation to work, because it is a lot heavier than most other clarifiers; this can be provided by the action of the bubbles produced during fermentation. It will also work later, but you need to provide the agitation yourself, like with a racking cane or degassing wand.



gelatin can backfire with cider. I found this out when I added to mine and it turned the whole carboy opaque as milk. I think this happens when there isn't much tannin in the juice for it to work with, but I have no evidence for that. Bentonite worked well to clear that up.
 
argentcorvid said:
I did a bunch of research on bentonite about a month ago. It needs agitation to work, because it is a lot heavier than most other clarifiers; this can be provided by the action of the bubbles produced during fermentation. It will also work later, but you need to provide the agitation yourself, like with a racking cane or degassing wand.



gelatin can backfire with cider. I found this out when I added to mine and it turned the whole carboy opaque as milk. I think this happens when there isn't much tannin in the juice for it to work with, but I have no evidence for that. Bentonite worked well to clear that up.
Click to expand...

Did you add it when the fermentation was still pretty vigorous? I was also curious if it causes any off flavor.

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Which?



I added the gelatin after the fermentation had settled down. Then I gave it a couple weeks to see if it would settle out on its own, but it didn't. I was trying to get the batch done in time for Christmas.



There shouldn't be any flavors with either as they settle out, and you should rack off soon after adding. I do remember reading that you shouldn't let wine sit on the sediment for a long time with bentonite because, being clay, it can have trace amounts of lead in it that can be dissolved into your beverage.
 

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