I recently fined a cider by using bentonite. I found that it stripped quite a bit of the apple flavor away.
I started w 6 gal store bought apple juice and 1.5lbs of corn sugar. I fermented dry with Mangrove Jacks cider yeast. I racked 5 gal into a carboy and the remainder in a 1 gal jug. I used bentonite in the 5 gal carboy but not the 1 gal jug. The un-bentonited gal batch was slightly hazy but held on to much more apple flavor. The bentonited batch is really watery and bland (I'll fix it by backsweetening).
This was not a scientific experiment, just an observation. Next time, I will use another clarifier.
I started w 6 gal store bought apple juice and 1.5lbs of corn sugar. I fermented dry with Mangrove Jacks cider yeast. I racked 5 gal into a carboy and the remainder in a 1 gal jug. I used bentonite in the 5 gal carboy but not the 1 gal jug. The un-bentonited gal batch was slightly hazy but held on to much more apple flavor. The bentonited batch is really watery and bland (I'll fix it by backsweetening).
This was not a scientific experiment, just an observation. Next time, I will use another clarifier.
