Bentonite Usage

[Almanac]

Someone mentioned using Bentonite recently and while I have used it I've found better clearing agents so I haven't used it in a while.

Just for pig-iron I took two 100ml jars and filled with equal amounts of water.

To the one on the left I added 1 rounded tsp of Bentonite and left for 30 mins before shaking vigorously to ensure distribution.

To the jar on the right I added a quarter of a level tsp and left for 30 mins before shaking vigorously to ensure distribution.

That was 12 days ago and as you can see the one with the quarter tsp has cleared, in fact it cleared in 5 days despite the sample being quite warm as I had no room in my fridge to keep them cool.

The other jar shows no sign of clearing.

The only conclusion to be drawn from this limited test is that Bentonite should only be used in very small quantities indeed. I estimate that three tsps would be sufficient for a 25lt wash.

Having said that I won't be using it again, too messy

AM

[Almanac]

The two jars have sat on a shelf in my workshop since I set them up and the one on the left is still unchanged while the one on the right has cleared completely.

Conclusion: Bentonite does work as a clearing agent but it's usefulness is very limited. I would recommend a maximum dosage of 1tsp for a 5lt wash and 3tsp for a 25lt wash bearing in mind the the yeast cake will not be reusable in any case.

AM