Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had any idea what concentration the typical
isinglass solutions are made up to (e.g. 0.5% by weight)? (i.e. how
much solid (dried) isinglass is equivalent to a given amount of liquid
isinglass solution?)

Thanks,
Ben

"Ben Rotter" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi all,
>
> I was wondering if anyone had any idea what concentration the typical
> isinglass solutions are made up to (e.g. 0.5% by weight)? (i.e. how
> much solid (dried) isinglass is equivalent to a given amount of liquid
> isinglass solution?)

I've never seen liquid isinglass. The stuff is a PIA to mix up from solid,
and Peynaud's book gives the following recommended proportions:

1 kilogram isinglass
100 liters water
100 grams tartaric acid
20 grams sulfur dioxide

It needs to be stirred thoroughly while the isinglass hydrates and forms a
"jelly". After a few days, the clots are crushed with a brush and forced
through a fine sieve. Then it's ready to go.

Peynaud mentions that isinglass should never be heated, like you would with
gelatin. Also, it's recommended that it be stored refrigerated until use to
prevent spoilage. I've heard mention of using a blender on it to homogenize
the suspension after hydration, which makes sense to me.

To the first time user, isinglass is truly scary to use - not just because
of the PIA preparation, but because it *stinks* so bad! (It's even worse
than gelatin, which is also pretty foul smelling.) I suppose that's the
free amines from the fish that stink, but apparently that all gets converted
to odorless amides by the action of the acid in the wine. At least that's
_my_ theory. :^)

All in all, I find it's worth the trouble to prepare because it can have
such a remarkable effect on the flavor of a wine, and in rather small doses.
5 oz/1000 gal is considered a heavy dose, but good results can be obtained
with much lower doses.

Tom S

> I've never seen liquid isinglass. The stuff is a PIA to mix up from solid,
> and Peynaud's book gives the following recommended proportions:

Thanks Tom, but that doesn't really answer my question. Anyone else
know what concentration solutions are often made up to?

I'm using the dried form but I've seen it sold as a liquid (without
any quotation of the solution concentration). I've also seen people
quote liquid dosages w/o soln. conc. again.

I've read Peynaud's info before too and have found it quite helpful. I
also agree isinglass is a PIA to prepare. But then, I usually prepare
my bentonite the same way (aside from the "jellification" and
subsequent crushing of clots of course), so it isn't so bad.

Ben

"Tom S" > wrote in message . com>...>
> I've never seen liquid isinglass. The stuff is a PIA to mix up from solid,
> and Peynaud's book gives the following recommended proportions:
>
<Snip!>
>
> Tom S

Liquid Isinglass exists, although it's not as common as the dry
form. I've been quite curious which form works best... if, in fact
one does. The liquid form looks easier to work with as it doesn't
require much preperation to use.

I have my wine split between two vessels. I've been tempted to
try the dry on one and liquid on the other.

Here's a link to a vendor selling liquid Isinglass:

http://www.brewsource.com/ProdNav/In...tives_vw_1.asp

If anyone has any experience with it, please share!

-Paul

(Ben Rotter) wrote in message . com>...
> > I've never seen liquid isinglass. The stuff is a PIA to mix up from solid,
> > and Peynaud's book gives the following recommended proportions:
>
> Thanks Tom, but that doesn't really answer my question. Anyone else
> know what concentration solutions are often made up to?
>
> I'm using the dried form but I've seen it sold as a liquid (without
> any quotation of the solution concentration). I've also seen people
> quote liquid dosages w/o soln. conc. again.
>
> I've read Peynaud's info before too and have found it quite helpful. I
> also agree isinglass is a PIA to prepare. But then, I usually prepare
> my bentonite the same way (aside from the "jellification" and
> subsequent crushing of clots of course), so it isn't so bad.
>
> Ben


I can't answer the question you asked (concentration of liquid
Isinglass), but Lum's excellent manual suggests that .05 to .3 grams
per gallon of wine is the range for dried Isinglass with .1 grams per
gallon typical for white wine. He also suggests that it be dissolved
in low pH wine at 1 gram to 100 ml of wine.


HTH,

Andy