Last night, with my housemates seated around the living room, I broke out the bottles and poured small samples into the glasses lined up on the table. As each of them took a sip, eyes rolled back and smiles spread wide. One just nodded. "Dude..." mused the next. After a long pause, Mister Nygren simply said, "Wow, babe. Wow."

It was a very proud moment for me. I had [evidently] become a successful homebrewer.

I began brewing t'ej -- an Ethiopian honey wine made and served in the home -- just over a month ago. I started with very small batches because, among other things, I didn't want to get stuck with five gallons of something that didn't turn out well... and to hear some folks tell it, getting a homemade brew just right is only slightly less difficult than crossing a mine field on a pogo stick.
Blindfolded.
So when I found a basic t'ej recipe in Wild Fermentation  that could be made with any number of different flavors but only really needed honey, water and patience,* I just had to try my hand at it.

*(The author notes that authentic t'ej also calls for adding gesho, a plant indigenous to Ethiopia, for a bittering agent.  You can't get it here without importing it or finding a dealer on eBay, though, so he went on to say that a great -- if not completely authentic -- finished product could be made without it.)

My first batch was the rudimentary honey-and-water version; in the second, I threw in a half-cup of thawed mixed berries.  Both got rave reviews last night. The best part: in terms of home ferments, it's nearly an instant-gratification drink. Though it can be bottled and aged like mead, it's ready to drink young after just a couple weeks. What we had was delightful and already quite complex after just a month.  "It's official," one of my housemates declared. "You're in the t'ej-making business."

Come by and see me if you want some. It's surprisingly potent stuff, so don't be offended if I start by offering you a sample that barely covers the bottom of the wine glass. Can't have you ending up looking like one of these folks...