using bentonite in beer !?!

[shanek17]

so regarding Bentonite, I recently used some in my 6 gallon batch of Welchs frozen grape concentrate and also in a 1 gallon minute maid berry concentrate. I couldnt believe the difference it made in adding it into these two batches. these batches have been going for almost 2 weeks and the berry wine is already VERY clear and sitting in secondary, i couldnt believe how clear it looks, the other batch isnt clear, but for some reason this berry wine is really clear and looking good. any idea why it works so well for this small berry batch? They were both fermented on june 06th and have approximately the same amount of ABV.

Also I was wondering why the fermentation was so quite, but then I read that bentonite is also a stabilizer , which is perfect for those batches that are filled up close to the top of your fermenter. So now im wondering how this would work in beer? I just recently did my first batch of coopers Real ale beer and it was a vigirious and hot fermentation and alot of foam was coming out, so it got me thinking if i should try bentonite the next time to tone it down. any one heard or tried of this ?!

 

[shelly_belly]

Bentonite is less effective as pH increases. It could be that the Welchs batch has a higher pH and would require more Bentonite. I have never used it on beer.

 

[shanek17]

okay i didnt know that and maybe that why the berry btach is already clear. i do know that bentonite is negativly charged , so some additives are negative some positive and some netural. so somebody here has got too have tried bentonite in beer... i doubt im the first to stumble upon such an idea. all i know is i had reat results with using it in my wine and sidnt have to worry about them overflowing with foam from a vigiourios fermentstion. which was nice and allowed me to top them up with water to increase myvvolume.

 

[socalbrewer1796]

I have heard that it should be used in the secondary a week before bottling. Haven't tried it my self but am thinking about it. It is mentioned in homebrewing for dummies that it's okay for beer in secondary.

 

[shanek17]

im doing an update about my latest real ale beer i brewed. i added 3 tsps of betonite for 6 gal batch. and everyday i checked on my brew i waited for it to begin over flowing with foam like my last real ale, but it never happened! i had my pail hooked up to a blow off hose but didnt really need it. i cant give the bentonite all the credit though because this time i fermented mh real ale in a cool er temperature which may have assited in keeping the beer from turning into an overactive fermentation.

 

[Konesky]

I'd like to revive this thread in the hopes of finding a definitive answer.

As an interesting note, all Baron's beer kits contain a sachet of bentonite. For this application, the use is specific: add the contents to approximately 1 Gal of hot water, sprinkle slowly to avoid clumping, and thoroughly mix it in with the water. Pour the wort on top of that and top up with water to the 23L mark with water such that the end temperature is where you want your pitch temp to be.

Ok, so it's been a while since I moved away from my ****ty kit beer (I never had much luck with kits although I was making a ton of mistakes before i began to really learn).

I'm currently brewing with an all grain system but the idea of using bentonite has stuck with me. In the Baron's kit, it's essentially added just before pitching you yeast. I happen to have some bentonite inherited from a former wine maker and I've been really tempted to use it in the beer the same way Baron's calls for.

Can anyone add some additional information to this thread? Has anyone tried bentonite in beer? I've googled it and every result says something different. Looking for a first hand EXPERIENCE here. Would you add it near the end of your boil to mix well and sterilize? Would you dissolve it in water separately, sterilize it by boiling and toss in the carboy before pouring your wort on top? Or would you add it a week before bottling as I've seen mentioned?

As an aside, I've heard of using Knox Gelatin packs but really curious about Bentonite as a fining agent / clarifier.