fertilizerbrew
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- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
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Hello all,
I have been reading about beer being used to benefit the soil in gardens and activate compost piles. While this may be a sin to some beer enthusiasts, I was hoping that someone would pass on some advice in this matter.
I currently do not drink beer, and I do not really want to have to buy beer every time I want to use it in my composting or garden. I usually have some whole grains (either barley, wheat berries, or brown rice) in the kitchen for food purposes. I also have molasses, karo, baking yeast, nutritional yeast, and brewer's yeast (these last two are supposed to be inactive?). If I want to make a brew that is not going to be drunk, but just used on soil/compost, can I eliminate much of the steps required for brewing beer?
One thing I would like to know is if there are substitutes for hops? Can I just use black tea or another herbal tea high in tannins? If anyone has any links to threads/web sites that discuss alternatives to hops in brewing I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, Can I just brew it in a jar or bucket without an air lock?
Can I use black strap molasses or karo instead of malt syrup?
Do I just boil grains in water, add molasses, karo, or sugar with some high tannin formula and brew it in a bucket with a loose lid? Any ideas?
Alternatively, if I were to want to drink some of the brew for nutritional/health value, what additional steps would be required to make it safe/palatable to drink?
Thanks!
John
*Edit: Any idea how long it should brew?
I have been reading about beer being used to benefit the soil in gardens and activate compost piles. While this may be a sin to some beer enthusiasts, I was hoping that someone would pass on some advice in this matter.
I currently do not drink beer, and I do not really want to have to buy beer every time I want to use it in my composting or garden. I usually have some whole grains (either barley, wheat berries, or brown rice) in the kitchen for food purposes. I also have molasses, karo, baking yeast, nutritional yeast, and brewer's yeast (these last two are supposed to be inactive?). If I want to make a brew that is not going to be drunk, but just used on soil/compost, can I eliminate much of the steps required for brewing beer?
One thing I would like to know is if there are substitutes for hops? Can I just use black tea or another herbal tea high in tannins? If anyone has any links to threads/web sites that discuss alternatives to hops in brewing I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, Can I just brew it in a jar or bucket without an air lock?
Can I use black strap molasses or karo instead of malt syrup?
Do I just boil grains in water, add molasses, karo, or sugar with some high tannin formula and brew it in a bucket with a loose lid? Any ideas?
Alternatively, if I were to want to drink some of the brew for nutritional/health value, what additional steps would be required to make it safe/palatable to drink?
Thanks!
John
*Edit: Any idea how long it should brew?