[dangerdave]

Thanks for the additional info, saramc. I think what I have is calcium bentonite. In my comparison, both bacthes fermented at nearly the exact same rate. In eight days, they were both dry. It does not appear (at least for my study) that the bentonite effected the rate of fermentation at all.

June 19th: DAY 15
Both batches continue to clear...yea, this is the boring part!


So far, it looks like they're even. After a week of clearing, I usually rack off the sediment. I'm at work today, so I'll check the batches tomorrow, when I get home.

[dangerdave]

June 20th: DAY 16

Batch A (left: bentonite & sparkolloid) is slightly behind Batch B (right: sparkolloid only) in clearing. It's very close, though:


I decided to let them sit another few days. I'm at work again today, or I'd have compared the lees and backsweetened both. I really want to compare the sediments side by side. If bentonite does not show any improvenment in handling the sediments, I'd say---at this point---that I won't use it again. I need to taste them as well, so the judgement is still out.

[oldwhiskers]

So far, I'm impressed with the Sparkolloid. I degassed and added Sparkolloid to my fourth carboy this month and the other three are crystal clear. My LHBS does not carry the Sparkolloid so I was a little late getting some in after dallying some on it.

[soccer0ww]

Thanks for doing this "test". It has been very interesting to see the results, and all the added information from other forum members. I will have to try sparkalloid. I usually use Isinglass and have not always been happy with the results.

[dangerdave]

Welcome back all, for a brief update. I've been overwhelmed this past week, so the Dragon Blood has been sitting quietly, clearing. So far, I think the two are very close. Both are crystal clear. Tomorrow, I will be racking and sweetening. This will be the opportunity for me to examine the sediments, and compare them. I will be checking the density during racking to see if the bentonite holds the sparkolloid in place. I have not tasted them yet, so I will be checking for flavor differences as well (I do not anticipate any)...my favorate part.

I was hoping to get at them earlier (and keep up with JJ & cindy), but my lovely wife became ill (she's disabled), and my mother gave me a pool table (which I am attempting to install and recover with red felt), so---as wines do best---they just sat there. I'll be doing some catchup work in the Lab this weekend.

Thanks for being patient...

[southlake333]

Originally Posted by dangerdave

I was hoping to get at them earlier (and keep up with JJ & cindy), but my lovely wife became ill (she's disabled), and my mother gave me a pool table (which I am attempting to install and recover with red felt), so---as wines do best---they just sat there. I'll be doing some catchup work in the Lab this weekend.

Thanks for being patient...

Very sorry to hear about your wife, I hope everything is well now.

Thanks again for all the information!

[dangerdave]

The weekend never came! A powerful derecho took out power all over southern Ohio, and left us without electrcity for three days. Luckily, we have a finished basement/wine cellar that stays cool (67F) 24/7.

Check General Chit-Chat for my tale of the DERECHO?

It turned out to be a good thing, I think, that the Dragon Bloods got to sit and settle out nicely, since one of my goals was to examine and compare the consistancy of the sediments. My hope was that the bentonite would help to "lock" the fluffy sparkolloid in a more solid state, making racking without disturbing the sediments easier and to reduce loss of wine.

July 3th, DAY 29:

Let's look at the cleared Dragon Blood. No difference at all with clarity. They both look great! The sediments look equal.



Following this picture, the batches were both racked and backsweetened (with my usual four cups of sugar). I observed the sediments during vacuum racking to see how easily they could be disturbed. Here are some pics of the sediments.
Batch A

Batch B


Although they don't show much, what you might notice is that Batch B (sparkolloid only) has more wine left in the carboy. The sediments in Batch A (bentonite + sparkolloid) were definately more solid, and clung to the bottom much more readily than the Batch B. I got more clear wine off of Batch A---nearly an entire 750ml bottle! The sediments in Batch B were easily disturbed, and even being very careful I managed to suck up a little of them during this racking.

I'm going to let them sit one more week to see if anything else falls out, then I'll taste and bottle. At that time, I will give my final conclusion on this study of bentonite and Sparkolloid.

[oldwhiskers]

Wow, they really look nice. Thanks for the comparison.

[dangerdave]

You are wlecome, John. Thanks for reading!

[Heckle]

Love experiments like this.