Clarifying Cloudy Cider

Clarifying a Cloudy Cider

We returned home from a business trip and quickly assessed the cider's progress.  While it has stopped fermenting now, it was decidedly cloudy.

This is common and the next step was to clarify the cider.

After some online research and reading about the process in a winemaking book, we decided to choose Bentonite as our clarifier.  Bentonite is a negatively charged mineral that will attach to the sediment and pull it down.   I'll show you the process and then tell you about the other options.

Bentonite Powder

According to the ratios I read, we needed 1 oz. of Bentonite to treat 5 gallons of cider.  I carefully weighed up 1 oz. on my digital scale and added it to 1 pint of boiling water, whisking constantly to keep it from clumping.  Treat it like a fine bechamel sauce!

After all the powder has been whisked into the boiling water, remove it and blend it for a solid minute or two to make it creamy and smooth.

Once you've finished, it should look like a thin pudding.  Allow it to cool to room temperature.

We siphoned off half a liter of cider to make room for the "Bentonite Sauce." 

Once it was cooled, we carefully poured it into the carboy, agitating the cider with the end of our siphoning hose. 

We allowed the cider to stand undisturbed overnight and this very morning, only the sky was cloudy!

The cider was substantially clarified with the sediment dropping to the bottom.

LEFT = Before Bentonite

RIGHT = After Bentonite

Want to know more about clarifiers, check my next post where I'll share my research.