Got a question... (involves bentonite)

[spafmagic]

I made an acerglyn mead and had the idea (after fermentation, before racking, and still air locked) to shake it up to de-gas it, stir up the lees, tilt the fermenter and let it settle at a steep angle as to limit unracked waste.

Unfortunately, after waiting a week for the Brew to clear as crystal as it was before the shake up, the heavy solids have made it to the bottom but what I can only describe as a thin cloud remains in suspension. Only a quarter inch of the Brew is actually clear at the surface...

... so the question is, to speed up the clearing process, can I use some of the Brew to mix with bentonite instead of water so I do not dilute any of the flavor or alcohol content, no matter how little it may be?

 

[MightyMosin]

Yes you can. You are trying to make a slurry and that generally means you want the liquid hot to get the clay to become that slurry.

You could also try Kieselsol and Chitosan at a lower dosage... just give it time to settle out in either case.

 

[bernardsmith]

Unless you have really worked to degas your acerglyn, it is more than likely that the mead is supersaturated with CO2. The gas may be unable to lift and hold heavier particles but yeast and other smaller molecules may be what is causing the cloudiness. If you have not yet racked this , it may be too early to attempt to degas this. But as the gas slowly leaves the fermenter you will almost certainly see that the mead begins to clear from the top down. All you may need to add is a little patience.

 

[bernardsmith]

Unless you have really worked to degas your acerglyn, it is more than likely that the mead is supersaturated with CO2. The gas may be unable to lift and hold heavier particles but yeast and other smaller molecules may be what is causing the cloudiness. If you have not yet racked this , it may be too early to attempt to degas this. But as the gas slowly leaves the fermenter you will almost certainly see that the mead begins to clear from the top down. All you may need to add is a little patience.