Ty's "Xtabentún" Fortified Metheglin

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Ty520

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This is a follow-up to my previous fortified mead recipe.

History of the drink:

This recipe is inspired by an ancient Yucatec Mayan drink called, Xtabentún (Ish-ta-ben-toon) - The original Mayan recipe is believed to have used nectar derived from a local Morning Glory vine that has psychoactive properties when consumed in high enough concentration; this recipe was itself possibly evolved from another ancient Mayan drink called, Balché, which is a mildly psychotropic beverage made by soaking Balche bark, which is mildy psychotropic, in a honey must (possibly the morning Glory honey), and often contained other mildly intoxicating ingredients including tobacco and local fungi.

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, they did not particularly care for the potent and pungent drink, and altered the recipe by making a relatively traditional mead, fortified with rum, and spiced with star anise.

Today, the spanish variation is still popular as an anise liquer, mostly made, sold and consumed in the Mexican State of Yucatán. But the original recipes are still made and consumed by some isolated, rural indigenous mayans

Because of the psychotropic nature of the original recipe, and the modern pallet, my recipe is based on the spanish variation and modern liquer


Ty's 'Xtabentun' Fortified Metheglin

1 gallon batch

(*note: I prefer to fortify after fermentation is complete rather than adding liquor during active fermentation at a targeted gravity reading; this method allows me add minimal liquor)

Ingredients:
-4 Lbs Orange Blossom Honey
-32 oz Gold rum ( some aging provides complimentary richness and character; older darker rums are overpowering)
-Safale WB-06 yeast
-1 star anise pod
-1 gram cinnamon stick (for me, this was approximately 1 quarter of a stick)
-1 clove
-1 vanilla bean, split
-0.5 oz medium toast american oak w/ rum soak
-goferm
-fermaid O

Method:
-Hydrate yeast per instructions in 4 ounces of reserved water + goferm (per TOSNA protocol)
-Add honey and top with water until OG reaches 1145.
-pitch yeast.
-stir vigorously to incorporate and aerate.
-degas twice daily for the next five days, and add nutrients per TOSNA protocol.
-once fermentation is complete, allow trub to settle and rack.
-add rum and very gently stir to fully incorporate, bringing your abv to ~20%.
-Add anise, clove and cinnamon in a brew bag.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding spices - pull spices if at desired flavor; if not, check each week thereafter until you reach desired flavor.
-rack once trub has settled; add vanilla.
-sample mead at +1month after adding vanilla; pull or continue sampling each week until desired flavor has been reached. I prefer heavy vanilla profile and pull at 2 months.
-allow mead to clear again, and rack.
-add oak.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding oak. pull if at desired flavor, otherwise continue checking each week. I usually pull oak at 1 month.
-if necessary, rack again - otherwise, bottle and age to at least 1 year, or longer if you can.
 
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Personally I don't like TOSNA over 14% or so. Not reliable.

hmm, wonder why?

WB06 used in mead tends to need TOSNA to ever reach it's upper alcohol limits - it finishes fermentation around 14% before you add the rum, which kicks it to 20%, so TOSNA isn't a factor at that point
 
I believe they over estimate the effectiveness of fermaid o and don't include the YAN from go-ferm. Essentially, they're not contributing as much YAN as they think they are, but goferm covers that up until you start getting to higher ABVs.
 
I believe they over estimate the effectiveness of fermaid o and don't include the YAN from go-ferm. Essentially, they're not contributing as much YAN as they think they are, but goferm covers that up until you start getting to higher ABVs.

Hmmm, I'll have to look into that. That's interesting because many others thought 2.0 was excessive, and the 3.0 protocol slightly reduced the quantities
 
That's interesting because many others thought 2.0 was excessive, and the 3.0 protocol slightly reduced the quantities

It very well may have been excessive for lower ABVs, for the same reason. Which 3.0 is fine for lower OG musts, it's just when you start going over 14-15% it starts to become unreliable. That is at least what I've observed from my own and several friends when making high test mead.
 
It very well may have been excessive for lower ABVs, for the same reason. Which 3.0 is fine for lower OG musts, it's just when you start going over 14-15% it starts to become unreliable. That is at least what I've observed from my own and several friends when making high test mead.

I wonder what the science of that might be? Sounds counterintuitive at first - would expect it to be the cause of people blowing past their target abvs so often.

Maybe it's one of those, "light that burns twice as bright lasts half as long" scenarios?
 
It's pretty straightforward - higher gravity musts require more YAN to reliably finish. With good nutrition and practice, you can push most yeast 1-2% past their stated limit. I've got a friend that regularly hits 21% (lab verified) with EC-1118.
 

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