Alternative to Chitosan

Hi y'all. Been a long time since I posted last (years?) but I'm in urgent need of a solution.

Been brewing for a while now and my beer is fantastic. Never worried about clearing or fining agents.

So I just started my first wine kit. (Winexpert Selection Estate Washington Riesling.) It has been in secondary for around a week, gravity is .995 or so, and it's ready to be degassed and stabilized. It tastes fantastic btw.

However, I cannot use Chitosan. It is made from shellfish and for religious reasons I am not permitted to eat shellfish or anything derived from shellfish, even if it only utilizes the shellfish temporarily (as in chitosan) if there is any chance there will be shellfish in the end product.

My beer experience tells me that if I leave it alone long enough, suspended solids will drop out and while it may not be brilliant, it will be clear enough for me.

So if I rack this baby into another carboy, add some extra k-meta, and let it sit for a few months, will it clear out? Or is there a plant-derived alternative to chitosan that anyone knows of?

You have a couple of options: let it bulk age and it will clear or do a google search for wine finings. I just did and the first link provided several options.

Chitosan will completely settle out so there is no need to worry about allergies or having it in the end product as long as you rack carefully. Isinglass and some other fining agents are also animal products so if you are still concerned I would suggest going with bentonite which is made from clay.

Chitosan is made from shellfish alright but not the proteins that would give you an allergic reaction. I mod and admin quite a few websites including the sister site to this and there have been many people with the same allergies that trusted me and others on this. If you are that worried you can use Bentonite or Isinglass though but fear not you would be fine.

I'm assuming we're talking kosher here. I'm not sure what is allowed and what isn't- but I do believe that without fininings, this wine will still clear. Give it about twice as along as you would with finings, and top up (so to not allow oxidation) and it should be fine.

Has anyone used the eggshell thing? From Jack Keller's site:

A slightly misty or off-color white wine can often be clarified and decolored using egg shells. Egg shells are first cleaned and then dried in an oven. This makes them brittle. They are then easily crushed into very small pieces and these are stirred into the wine. They will slowly sink and over time collect carbon dioxide bubbles absorbed in the wine. These will cause the egg shell particles to rise and eventually leave the captured bubbles at the surface, thereby allowing them to sink again. This process may go on for some time. These tiny bits of agitated calcium slowly absorb off-colors and drag suspended particles to the bottom. I have found they are better at correcting the color than at clarifying the wine, but they do have an effect and don't seem to change the taste.

edit: oops just read the part about a plant based solution. I don't know if this would work for you.

Thanks all. I have already used bentonite. Chitosan has a different charge and acts on different particles. That's why I was asking if there was a replacement. I am not allergic to shellfish. I cannot use the product for religious reasons.

I guess I will just rack it off the sediment, stabilize it, add the susse reserve, and let it sit for a few months and see if that clears it up.

rurounikitsune said:

Thanks all. I have already used bentonite. Chitosan has a different charge and acts on different particles. That's why I was asking if there was a replacement. I am not allergic to shellfish. I cannot use the product for religious reasons.

I guess I will just rack it off the sediment, stabilize it, add the susse reserve, and let it sit for a few months and see if that clears it up.

Click to expand...

I know isinglass is made from fish bladders, but what about sparkelloid? It's made from fish skeletons. I'm not sure that's acceptable either, but it's a thought.

I think time will do the same thing, though. I only use finings in my kit wines- my "homemade" wines don't get finings and they are all clear with some time. I think you'll be fine just by letting it sit.

If you have room in a refrigerator you could cold stabilize the wine for a few weeks which would speed up dropping out the yeast, this is what most commercial wineries do. Otherwise patience works.

YooperBrew said:

I know isinglass is made from fish bladders, but what about sparkelloid? It's made from fish skeletons. I'm not sure that's acceptable either, but it's a thought.

I think time will do the same thing, though. I only use finings in my kit wines- my "homemade" wines don't get finings and they are all clear with some time. I think you'll be fine just by letting it sit.

Click to expand...

It depends on the kind of fish. Lots of fish are clean so even isinglass from a clean fish would be okay.

I will let it sit a few months though and if that doesn't work, maybe I will stick it in my lagering fridge for a while. I'm not really in a hurry.

You could use gelatin. It isnt made from any sea food , it made from cow bones. Anyone but me noticed a pattern, bones clear wine

If he is Kosher, and I remember right, crushed bones are not Kosher.

My issue is with Blackberry wine. First batch turned out clear (and tasting great), no fining agent, no nothing. Was only 4 gallons, I let it go until it was .999. It was only 4L.

The second batch is 5 gallons, and I only did two things different. This time I had gotten my hands on some bentonite (first time using it) that I added prior to pitching my yeast. The other thing different is when I topped off my carboy I used sorbate and sugar water (gf wanted a sweet wine). It is differently done fermenting, it has been 2 weeks since topping off and no change in the SG.

Now is cloudy as heck and just isn't settling out. It has been weeks in the secondary and hasn't cleared much at all. I have more bentonite and some Super-Kleer K.C., and a large freezer just at freezing temp.

What should I do? More bentonite, the Super Kleer or what? Can I cold stabilize it for a few hours at freezing temp?