Better brewing through science.
I've spent nearly 2 years perfecting my T'ej recipe. What is perfect you ask? Fast, cheap, consistently delicious, and minimal tweaking. I've finally mastered the recipe according to these criteria.
I've recently discovered that I can add all the honey upfront with a BOMM to end up sweet without affecting the short timeline. I'm implementing that in this recipe to avoid the need to back sweeten at the end.
I've also discovered that the more gesho you add, the longer it takes to mellow out into a smooth T'ej. I think this is analogous to over-oaking. Hence, I kept dialing back the gesho to both hasten the speed to drinkable and avoid wasting the precious gesho (read cheaper).
The Perfect T'ej BOMM
1. Add 3.45 lbs of Orange Blossom honey to carboy (SG ~1.135).
2. Add 1.89 grams (0.4 tsp) Fermaid K, 3.15 grams (0.7 tsp) Fermaid O and 2.075 grams (1/4 tsp) K2CO3.
-Add 3.15 grams (0.7 tsp) Fermaid O again at 1.100 & 1.070.
3. Add 0.5 oz gesho. No boil.
4. Add water to 1/2 cup shy of gallon.
5. Add a smack pack of Wyeast 1388.
6. It should finish around 1.015 in about 15-25 days.
7. Cold crash and bottle. Or drink it! T'ej is traditionally drunk cloudy and still carbonated from fermentation.
This T'ej is delicious as soon as the gravity is stable. The perfect amount of gesho is in balance with the wonderful orange blossom honey sweetness. Warning: It can be too easy to drink!
Best out of a horn or a berele!
Specs
SG - 1.135
FG - 1.015