Is there anything I can do with all the used grains and hops after making wort for my home brew beer?
I know that by boiling them up in water to make the wort, I’ve effectively extracted everything usefull in terms of brewing from them, but it still seems such a waste to throw them in the bin.
Thinking from a green environmental viewpoint, is there any way of recycling them or using them for a secondary purpose after I’ve boiled my wort?
There are tons of recipes out there for "spent grain" foods. Cookies and Breads are the first that come to mind. You can google "spent grain recipes". Here are a few that I found
http://www.breworganic.com/recipes/Cooking-Recipes.html
http://harvette.net/2009/03/spent-grain-cookies/
I know that the Deschutes Breweries use Spent Grains to make a veggie burger. If you e-mail them, they may be willing to share the recipe.
It makes great feed for livestock
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Comment by Depirts — December 30, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
Swampy, O love the pic/avatar.
Got any cattle nearby? They love the spent grains from brewing. It is both tasting & nutritious (everything is not gone) for them. Be sure not to allow for more than say a large coffee can full per day as the excess can cause them to founder.
You can use the spent grains & trub for a garden mulch.
Hey guys,
I have a question that is getting lonley. How about your point of view on the topic? Thanks
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Comment by DESTRUCTION of ELOQUENCE — December 30, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
I saw a documentary last week. They make Marmite out of it.
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Comment by stella — December 30, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
Warm it up, add milk and eat some for breakfast. Dude, it’s awesome!!
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Comment by David — December 30, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
There are tons of recipes out there for "spent grain" foods. Cookies and Breads are the first that come to mind. You can google "spent grain recipes". Here are a few that I found
http://harvette.net/2009/03/spent-grain-cookies/
I know that the Deschutes Breweries use Spent Grains to make a veggie burger. If you e-mail them, they may be willing to share the recipe.
References :
Comment by Moxie — December 30, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Not having any livestock to eat it, I throw mine on the compost pile. I tried a bread recipe — once.
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Comment by oikos — December 30, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
Mix it in with birdseed or feed for squirrels, etc. I can’t imagine spent grain from homebrew is enough for livestock feed… unless you are brewing MASSIVE batches. Also makes good fertilizer…
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Comment by ArcadiaJon — December 30, 2009 @ 8:55 pm
Some of these answers have been covered already, but here is some more detail:
* hops may be toxic to dogs – dispose of carefully if you have a dog.
* I add 1/3 cup of still-damp spent grains to bread in my bread machine at the "additions beep". This adds a bit of fiber to the bread, and a bit of color. I really like it. I also portion out 1/3c blobs into ziplocks and freeze them seperately so I can easily bake with them later.
* Dogs like biscuits made with grains. Here’s a sample recipe – adjust as desired:
# 4 cups spent grain
# 4 cups flour
# 1 cup peanut butter
# 1 egg
The details of this particular recipe in the URL below
* compost
References :
http://www.bodensatz.com/article.php?story=20031113110747266
Comment by fratermus — December 30, 2009 @ 9:44 pm