Almost Off Grid Blog - Brew, Make, Forage, Grow.

Here is our Damson Wine Recipe. Damsons come from the same family as plums. Their natural tartness means damson wine needs to be aged for longer than some other fruit wines, but it's worth the wait. Damsons grow in hedgerows all around the UK. Easy to spot, they look like little purple jewels hanging from the branches.

All beekeepers have wax cappings and crushed honeycomb around at some stage or another.  Making mead from them isn't common practice nowadays, but it's so rewarding. It means no honey is wasted and the process is simpler than you think. This is how we make mead from our honey cappings and crushed comb.

Mead has been around for centuries, and dandelions have long been foraged by man. Dandelion Mead is one of the 'old school' Meads I wanted to make, above all others. It's beautiful, and not just for Spring. Because whilst Dandelions are profuse in May June, they continued flowering until October.

Today is 15 July, which is St Swithin's Day. But did you know that 15 July is also known as Apple Christening Day? St Swithin's Day 15 July is St S...

A complete list of Gervin Yeasts by Muntons, and when to use them. Whatever you are brewing at home, there will always be a Gervin yeast which fits the bill! With superfast delivery from our shop in East Sussex.

We were videoing about how to make Joe's Ancient Orange Mead (JAO) the other day and didn't have a demijohn of it to show off at the end. Not becau...

During the Covid-19 lockdown, we have been asked by many customers about using old kits. The conversation goes something like this: I stopped brewing a while ago, and have found an old kit in my garage. Can I still use it? This is how you test to find out whether your yeast is still active.

Looking for a guide to Making Mead? If you have a few simple ingredients and sterilise all your equipment properly, then you're ready to go. Though the quality of the honey you use for making mead is the important. 

We sell 2 kinds of Malt Extract for Home Brewing. Liquid Malt Extract (LME) and Dried Malt Extract (DME). But what is Malt Extract?

Malt extract is derived from barley grains and water. It is packed with sugars plus some nutrients, including vitamin A and riboflavin. After the war it was popular as a dietary supplement for undernourished children. 

When making beer from kits, some of our customers use Beer Enhancer instead of sugar. There are many Beer Enhancer and Brew Enhancers on the market...

It's winter now and we have some demijohns of cider we made in the summer which need bottling. As I looked at them this morning, I realised I haven...

We get asked about demijohns a lot. So I thought some information about Glass Demijohns and where to find them might be helpful. Sometimes, especi...