Community recipes
Browse homebrew recipes
Real recipes shared by the Demijohn Journal community: beer, wine, mead, cider and country wine. Every recipe has full ingredients, method and ABV, and is free to clone and brew yourself.
Country Wine · DryDandelion Wine
Easy homemade dandelion wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Two litres of petals, oranges, lemon and patience. The lawn finally pays rent.
Country Wine · DryElderflower Wine
Easy homemade elderflower wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Twenty flower heads picked free in June, sugar and lemons, drinkable by Christmas.
Cider · Medium dryTraditional Perry
Traditional perry recipe, real pear cider from pressed pears. About 10kg of fruit per demijohn and worth every aching arm on pressing day.
Cider · DryTraditional Apple Cider
Traditional apple cider recipe from pressed fruit. About 9kg of apples per demijohn, no sugar, no shortcuts, just juice, yeast and time.
Wine · DryWhite Grape Wine
Homemade white grape wine recipe from fresh grapes. Pressed off the skins, one demijohn from about 6kg, and a proper use for a garden vine.
Wine · DryRed Grape Wine
Homemade red grape wine recipe from fresh grapes, one demijohn from about 6kg. For garden vines and greenhouse gluts, with sugar because British grapes need it.
Beer · Dry stoutDry Irish Stout
Dry Irish stout recipe for 23 litres of extract homebrew. Roasted barley does the heavy lifting and it is nowhere near as strong as it looks.
Beer · Irish red aleIrish Red Ale
Irish red ale recipe for 23 litres of extract homebrew. Crystal malt and a pinch of roasted barley for the colour. An easy going session beer.
Country Wine · DryPineapple Wine
Easy homemade pineapple wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Two ripe pineapples, sugar and sultanas. More sensible than it sounds.
Country Wine · DryCherry and Mixed Berry Wine
Easy homemade cherry and mixed berry wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). The cherries and berries kit favourite, made with actual fruit.
Country Wine · DryRaspberry Wine
Easy homemade raspberry wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). A little fruit goes a long way and it is drinkable sooner than most country wines.
Country Wine · DryApple Wine
Easy homemade apple wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Mixed apples, sugar and patience. Not cider, a proper white wine from orchard leftovers.
Country Wine · DryRhubarb Wine
Easy homemade rhubarb wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Cold sugar extraction, no boiling, and a proper use for the patch that will not stop.
Country Wine · DryCherry Wine
Easy homemade cherry wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Sweet or sour cherries, sugar and patience. Worth the purple fingers from stoning.
Country Wine · DryBlackberry Wine
Easy homemade blackberry wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Hedgerow fruit, sugar and patience. The cheapest full bodied red you will ever make.
Country Wine · DryPlum Wine
Easy homemade plum wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Victoria plums, sugar and a bit of patience. A good home for a glut you cannot eat fast enough.
Country Wine · DryStrawberry Wine
Easy homemade strawberry wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Ripe fruit, sugar and patience, nothing clever. Best made when strawberries are cheap.
Country Wine · Country Fruit Wine · Still · Dry–MediumGooseberry & Ginger Country Wine
Gooseberry wine is a classic British country wine with a long history of home production. This gooseberry and ginger wine recipe adds a warming kick of fresh ginger root to the naturally tart, sherbet-sharp flavour of green gooseberries, creating a lively, versatile country wine. It's dry enough to pair with food, and fragrant enough to enjoy on its own. This easy homemade gooseberry wine is perfect for early summer when gooseberries ripen in the garden, and it ferments surprisingly quickly for a fruit wine.
Mead · Cyser · Still · Off-DryCherry Blossom Honey Mead (Cyser-Style)
A cyser is a traditional mead made with apple juice instead of water, resulting in a drink with a richer body and a naturally fruity sweetness. This cherry blossom cyser recipe takes that classic base and adds dried cherry blossom petals for a subtle floral lift and delicate fragrance. It's a beautifully layered homemade mead, somewhere between an apple wine, a mead, and a light country wine, and one of the most elegant brews in this collection. Ideal for those who love food-pairing-friendly homemade wines.
Country Wine · Country Fruit Wine · Still · Dry–MediumPlum & Sloe Country Wine
Plum and sloe wine is a deeply flavoured, tannic country wine that makes excellent use of late-summer and early-autumn hedgerow harvests. This homemade plum wine recipe combines the rich, jammy sweetness of Victoria plums with the astringency of sloe berries to create a beautifully balanced, port-like country wine. It's one of the finest recipes in the British country winemaking canon, robust, complex, and absolutely stunning when aged for a year or more.
Mead · Melomel · Still · Sweet–Semi-SweetStrawberry Melomel
Strawberry mead, or strawberry melomel, is a crowd-pleasing summer brew that captures the sweet, candy-like essence of ripe strawberries. This strawberry mead recipe works beautifully with British summer strawberries at the peak of the season, or with frozen fruit for a year-round batch. Light and fragrant with a soft pink hue, this is one of the most approachable melomels for beginner meadmakers, and it ferments out quickly compared to heavier fruit meads.
Country Wine · Country Fruit Wine · Still · Dry–MediumElderberry Wine
Elderberry wine is one of the most celebrated homemade fruit wines in British winemaking tradition. Dark, full-bodied, and rich with tannin, a well-made elderberry wine is often compared to a robust red grape wine. This elderberry wine recipe guides you from hedgerow to bottle, using fresh or frozen elderberries that are at their peak in September and October. High in antioxidants and deeply flavourful, this is a country wine that genuinely rewards patience; it only improves with 12 months of ageing.
Country Wine · Country Fruit Wine · Still · Off-DryApple & Cinnamon Country Wine
Apple and cinnamon country wine is a wonderfully warming homemade fruit wine that tastes like autumn in a glass. Made from fresh-pressed apple juice or windfall apples, this easy apple wine recipe is spiced with whole cinnamon sticks for a comforting depth of flavour. Unlike hard cider, this country wine ferments with added sugar to reach a fuller body and higher ABV. It's a brilliant way to use a glut of garden apples and requires no specialist equipment beyond a fermentation bucket and demijohn.
Mead · Melomel · Still · Semi-SweetRaspberry & Rose Hip Melomel
This raspberry and rose hip melomel is a stunning ruby-red mead that makes the most of two wild British hedgerow ingredients. Raspberries bring vivid fruit and sharpness, while dried rose hips add depth, a slight nuttiness, and a boost of vitamin C. This fruit mead recipe is ideal for late summer brewing and produces a gorgeous, aromatic drink with a silky finish. A brilliant choice for gifting or showing off at a dinner party.
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