Fining agents

[Ryue]

Hey y'all, quick question.

My last batches I haven't been too worried about 100% clearing my mead, but as this batch is meant as gifts, I am trying to go all out - getting custom labels, wax sealing and even got a costom disign on a wax seal to press my mark into the wax.

So I was looking at clearing agents and there are a lot of options.. which ones do you guys prefer? Only name I recognized was Super-Kleer.
Do they change flavor at all? I might be being paranoid but I am leery of adding anything new to the recipie..
Lastly, how long do the agents usually take to clear your mead fully? I saw one said to wait a month?

Thanks in advance,
Keep Calm and Brew On!

 

[biochemedic]

I really like SuperKleer. It doesn't change the flavor, but you will have brilliantly clear mead in less than 24 hrs!

SuperKleer does contain chitosan, which if you troll the internet, you will see all sorts of warnings (If its said on the internet, it must be true...) that chitosan can cause allergy symptoms in people with shrimp or other shellfish allergies. I'm not sure I buy this; the product is highly modified, and contains no proteins, which are usually what causes allergies; chitosan itself is a complex polysaccharide.

There was actually a study looking at people drinking wine fined with chitosan, but as you can see in the link, the abstract doesn't really state what their conclusion was, and I don't have access to the actual article (I'm not interested enough to pay, but if any of the primary science types here on the board can get access, I'd be interested to see what their conclusions and discussion were...)

There was an additional military study looking at chitosan hemostatic bandages. It was a small study, but actually applied bandages to people with blood test *and* skin test proven shrimp allergies, and none of the subjects showed any reaction to chitosan.

 

[Maylar]

I have mixed feelings about fining agents. I think all of them affect the mead to some extent. Gelatin for instance binds with tannins and will remove them. I used Super Kleer on a BOMM/JAOM mead once and it stripped out all the orange flavor and most of the spices, basically ruining the mead. I swore I'd never use it again.

Right now I have a mead that refuses to clear even after cold crashing for 2 weeks. I dropped some bentonite in it, never used that before, and after a week it seems to be getting clearer. Racked it today and cold crashed again. We'll see.

Other people have had no problems with Super Kleer. I think the success of any fining depends on what the brew is.

 

[Ryue]

Hm, okay. Thanks for the advise, guys!
I have a 5 gallon and a half gallon of the same recipie going at the same time, so maybe I will test the Super-Kleer on the half gallon first, and if all fares well I will use it on the 5G.

 

[Maylar]

Another problem I have with Super Kleer is that it's liquid and the packs are not resealable. No way to measure out a proper dosage for less than the 5 gallon batch it's intended for. Gotta be creative and use a tiny syringe. A real PITA for small batch folks.

Oh yeah, and you have to let every last drop precipitate out before racking, or it leaves a nasty medicinal taste. It may be clear in a day but give it a week before racking.

 

[biochemedic]

Super-Kleer is three to three and an half bucks a pack, so I wouldn't feel too bad about using only a half pack or whatever on a small batch. Even if you used a whole pack on a smaller batch, I doubt that you could "overdose" a batch with any finings; by definition, the product precipitates out of solution...

I have to admit, I can't remember if I've ever tried packaging relatively immediately after clearing, so it may be hard for me to comment on any medicinal qualities....but, I will say confidently, that I've never tasted any off flavors following using Super-Kleer. Was that flavor you found definitely only present after the finings were added? It does sound like you could be describing a phenolic off flavor, rather than anything from the finings?

 

[Maylar]

Super-Kleer is three to three and an half bucks a pack, so I wouldn't feel too bad about using only a half pack or whatever on a small batch. Even if you used a whole pack on a smaller batch, I doubt that you could "overdose" a batch with any finings; by definition, the product precipitates out of solution...

I have to admit, I can't remember if I've ever tried packaging relatively immediately after clearing, so it may be hard for me to comment on any medicinal qualities....but, I will say confidently, that I've never tasted any off flavors following using Super-Kleer. Was that flavor you found definitely only present after the finings were added? It does sound like you could be describing a phenolic off flavor, rather than anything from the finings?

The medicinal taste was most definitely the Super Kleer. Loveofrose (Bray Denard) told me at GotMead that he's experienced the same thing. After cold crashing for a week and racking it went away... along with the orange flavor

 

[biochemedic]

Hmmm...seems odd that flavor/aroma molecules would be affected by the fining, as they're rather small compared with any haze causing particles, but I suppose if they were able to adsorb to the surface of whatever was causing the haze, they could be removed. At least the medicinal flavor went away...but I'll have to do a taste test next time I use Super Kleer just to see if I can pick that up too...

 

[Ryue]

I have to admit, I can't remember if I've ever tried packaging relatively immediately after clearing, so it may be hard for me to comment on any medicinal qualities....

How long have you usually waited before bottling? I was hoping to bottle fairly quickly, but if I have to wait a bit longer I suppose it won't be the end of the world. My half gallon should be done in about 2 or 3 weeks, vs another month and a half for the 5 gallon, so I should have time to test it on the half before risking the 5 lol.

 

[biochemedic]

I'm not sure exactly how many days, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that long...no more than a week for sure. I generally only add finings when I am itching to get something out of the carboy anyway, and it's just not cleared enough...I just can't say with confidence exactly what that lower limit was in terms of how quickly after using the Super Kleer that I've kegged/bottled.

 

[TimKonn2]

I'm not sure exactly how many days, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that long...no more than a week for sure. I generally only add finings when I am itching to get something out of the carboy anyway, and it's just not cleared enough...I just can't say with confidence exactly what that lower limit was in terms of how quickly after using the Super Kleer that I've kegged/bottled.

yea, i had to rack a very cloudy 5gal that was sitting on alot of junk for a month.. used super kleer, 3 days later racked to new carboys.. plan on bottling on march, but they are ridiculously clear right now.. transferred into a 3 gallon and 2 1 gallon jugs. 1 gallon jugs show no pressure in airlock, but the 3 gal still shows some, or else i would be bottling this weekend

 

[JordanC92]

There was actually a study looking at people drinking wine fined with chitosan, but as you can see in the link, the abstract doesn't really state what their conclusion was, and I don't have access to the actual article (I'm not interested enough to pay, but if any of the primary science types here on the board can get access, I'd be interested to see what their conclusions and discussion were...)

I tried accessing this through my university account but sadly we don't have an agreement with that publication, as its an area I'm interested in anyway I will look at the subscription cost and let you know. (assuming I can join that is)

 

[SanPancho]

Warning—. I know nothing about mead.

BUT traditional german lagering is done in horizontal tanks. The reduced height of liquid actually speeds the clearing due to some crazy physics principles.

If meads dont oxidize as bad as beers they maybe transfer to a horizontal tank or wide shallow container might speed it along?