Lawrence Brewers Guild

I have run into a unexpected issue with all grain. What do you do with the 10-12 lbs of spent grain? The first time a made a giant mess with a small pitcher and a couple of plastic bags that went into the trash. the second time I thought i would most of it into the yard trimming bags that get picked up on Mondays. then the rest just gets hosed off into the yard.

I was wondering if anyone with more experience has a good method of disposing of spent grain, and the best way to clean out the Mash ton. I have the 48 quart box cooler.

Thanks guys

Jim

I know gardeners love it for use as fertilizer!

It can be composted; if you don't already it shouldn't be hard to find someone that does. Also it makes good animal feed; a lot of commercial breweries sell it to farmers. I have a dog so I spread it around the yard normally in bare spots that he sometimes creates to help the grass grow and hold down moisture. Then it will decompose faily quickly or get chopped up during the next yard mowing.

Thanks guys I will look at a compost pile, I was thinking of doing dog treats but it only uses 4 cups of grain per batch.

We compost ours. It composts very well. The dog treats are nice, our dogs love them. Bad time of year to make them though as you need to keep your oven on low for 6 hours. There is also a spent grain bread recipe, both in the Recipe section. You can freeze it by placing it in a ziplock.

I posted it as "free compost material" on craigs list once and got someone interested. I put too much in the yard waste pickup a while back, and they wouldn't take it because it was too heavy. Bastards. Now I spread it under the bushes around my house for mulch.
Also a great ingredient in wheat bread, but it only uses a cup or two.

Dale Wheeler wrote: Bastards.

I can hear your inflection when I read this.

Only thing I'd be concerned with on using it as mulch, or even (open) composting, is that it will start to rot and get green and fuzzy very quickly. I'm told it's not a very nice smell at all. Plus, with the residual sugars, it probably attracts ants and other bugs, etc, so I wouldn't want it around too close to the house.

The dog treat thing is GREAT, even if you don't have dogs. Give them to a neighbor who does, and they'll love your brewing even more.

Also the spent grain breads are awesome. I hadn't thought of freezing it, that was a nice tip. Links to any new favorite recipes would be welcome.

Matt