Clearing agents for Pure Brewers Extreme Alcobase

revolt71 · Post by **revolt71** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:02 pm

If the pure brewers clearing agent{the best i've seen] is unavailable could someone offer me some alternative choices...i tried chitosan but it still came out a bit cloudy...a brita filter helps but i would appreciate any advice

Post by **HookLine** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:13 pm

Egg white, beaten to a froth, poured on the wash, wait two days. One white per 25 litres of wash. Wine makers use dried egg white by the boxful. Cheap too.

revolt71 · Post by **revolt71** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:15 pm

really? egg whites..sounds freaky but i'll give er' a shot..thanks for the quick reply!!

Post by **HookLine** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:38 pm

Yup, really, egg whites. Got that tip from someone here, can't remember who, thanks whoever you are.

Been used in winemaking for a long time. I have used them maybe 20 times now, way cheaper than Turbo Clear or similar, and just as effective.

Should say that I clear in two stages. Let it sit for about 5-7 days, then rack off, which gets rid of the bulk of the solids. Then use the egg white, which pulls out another 1/2" or more of much finer sediment. Gives a very clean result.

I ain't ever paying $7 for Turbo Clear again, when a 50c egg does the same trick.

revolt71 · Post by **revolt71** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:40 pm

Awesome bro...much appreciated!!

belialNZ · Post by **belialNZ** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:52 am

Bentonite, 3-4 tablespoons blended up with boiling water and stirred into the wash.

Works VERY fast too.

Butch50 · Post by **Butch50** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:40 am

I built a few water treatment plants in my day - they do a lot of work clearing the water. One of the techniques they use is flocculating - generally with a polymer, but sometimes with potato starch.

I don't know where you get potato starch, or how to process it, but I bet it might work a treat, it does on water.

alice · Post by **alice** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:21 pm

Is clearing the wash all that important? What happenes if it's still a little milky when you run it?

Post by **Dnderhead** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:41 pm

alice Nothing really but comes a little cleaner if you do

Post by **rad14701** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:51 pm

Butch50 wrote:I don't know where you get potato starch, or how to process it, but I bet it might work a treat, it does on water.

I'd think you could just use the water from some freshly boiled peeled potatoes... There's always a ton of starch in the water that usually gets dumped down the drain when preparing to make mashed potatoes... Perhaps tossing a bit into the mash would suffice as it shouldn't take much and shouldn't have any effect on the flavor of the final product... Just a thought...

smokerscully1 · Post by **smokerscully1** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:30 pm

I'm gonna try that tonite Rad--I'm making some potato wash right now and I have some of birdwatchers sugar wash ready to clear.
On my first to batches of sugar wash I used Dnderheads advise with egg white and then put the carboy in a rather cool garage and it cleared crystal clear overnight.

wineo · Post by **wineo** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:03 pm

Since its a turbo,It will be cleaner if you clear it good,but on the potato water wash,and birdwatchers it doesnt matter with them.The turbos have so much neutrents and acid in them that there a pain to clear.

smokerscully1 · Post by **smokerscully1** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:07 pm

I tried pouring a cup of potato wash on top of birdwatchers sugar mash then set the carboy in a 40 degree garage. It is clearing --but slowly. Dndhead's egg white trick is way faster.

Post by **HookLine** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:02 pm

As I understand it, clearing is important for two reasons.

1. Gets rid of the yeast, which will burst when heated and can release some unpleasant flavours.

2. If you have an internal element it can scorch any solids left in the wash, so it is better to clear.

I don't find clearing a hassle, it is mostly just waiting an extra few days.

To each their own.

wineo · Post by **wineo** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:27 pm

The best clearing agent there is,----time.I also make wine,and time is its best friend!

zymos · Post by **zymos** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:01 am

Egg whites are NOT a clearing agent, they are a fining agent. They react with certain size tannins, which are removed from wine as the egg proteins drop out. Not very significant for clearing a wash prior to distillation, as they don't especially remove yeast.

Bentonite is a good choice-cheap, and falls out pretty quickly. Check your brand-many only need to be mixed with cold water, others need to swell in hot water for an hour or so before being used. Also, it doesn't work so great if your wash is cold when you add it, but it is good idea to chill it a day or two after you add it to help drop out anything the bentonite doesn't get.