Composting stuff

[cuttsjp]

I love composting. It makes mash tun clean-up SO much easier and faster, and that means more brewing more often with less time cleaning! Furthermore, I'm going to grow several varieties of hops this summer, and the compost pile will make for amazing fertilizer. There you go. No reason not to do it. Yay hippies :fro:

 

[Scooby_Brew]

I'm with you on this one - I compost mainly to get rid off the used grain, but also to make my grass clippings an my dry leafs collection easier. The free compost I get from it I use to build up good soil in my hops and vegetable gardens.
s

 

[JoshuaW]

+1 I have a few nice compost bins that I started last summer as a way to get rid of several hundred pounds of bad apples. All of my grain goes right into a bin, and this spring I am going to have quite a bit of great compost! Hopefully that great compost will translate well into some good apples for cider and some great vegetables and herbs to make some great food to go with the brew. On a related note, I am impressed with how fast apples break down.

 

[menisale]

I have the problem of the grain stinking to high h--l for a couple of weeks. How do you keep the smell down? i want to keep it and compost it.

 

[Sojourn]

I have one of the eComposter Death Star-esque ones and it works great! Enclosed so no critters nor smell and it churns out great compost in about a month.

 

[Zamial]

I have the problem of the grain stinking to high h--l for a couple of weeks. How do you keep the smell down? i want to keep it and compost it.

I can NOT confirm this idea will work for compost but it sure does for harvesting spent grain. If anyone does try this in the composter and it works, report back please. My composter was full of rancid grains already so I have no way to test it.

After I mash out I do a 2nd mash with cold water and some ice cubes (2-3 trays) to crash the grains past the temp range that the lactic bacteria live in (the source of the bad smell). It also makes it easier to deal with cold grains. I have left "chilled grains" in my MLT until the next day and had NO foul smell at all. I usually let the cold water "mash" for about 30 minutes then I collect the runnings.

Since I bet I know the next question...

I use 3-4 cheap cookie sheets covered in aluminum foil and spread the grains evenly over the foil so the grains are not over the height of the edge of the pan, then toss them in the oven with the oven light on at 170F. I open the oven door once every hour to allow the water vapor to escape, unless I am sleeping. I also touch the grains to see how wet they are. When they feel dry I then fluff them and then respread them out on the pan. When A pan feels dry after the fluffing, I take it out and let it cool. This can take MANY hours/overnight to complete.

Once dried I toss them in a large ziploc bag for baking. I use the running's from the "cold rinse" as a "real wort starter". I then boil the collected wort separately for 15 minutes, then pressure cook them @ 15psi in the pressure cooker sterilizing the wort. This allows me to store them on the shelf vs. in the fridge. (more room for beer.) The only downside to this is you will have the cold break in the mason jars. I just decant the wort off the break material the best I can and make my starter.

FWIW I ALWAYS have more spent grains than will fit in my oven on the 4 cookie sheets so that goes into the composter or spread lightly over my lawn.

 

[Tim27]

I don't know why you wouldn't compost. If you got the space.

 

[shawnbou]

My spent grain goes straight into a tumbling compost bin as well, while it's still damp (the compost pile needs the moisture). Any trub left in the kettle goes in there too. I keep a bag of raked-up leaves next to the compost bin so I usually add a few handfuls of those on top at the end of the brew day, to keep the compost from getting to green or stinky. Works like a charm.

I also give my compost bin a beer once in a while, when I'm unlucky enough to have one go bad on me.

 

[glenn514]

My compost bin is made from PVC pipe, 90° elbows, and plastic mesh fencing. It is a 4' "cube," and the sides are held together with zip ties. ALL my organic waste goes into it. I've got a Rubbermaid container by the kitchen sink that is used for vegetable trimmings, apple cores, coffee grounds and the like...but NO MEAT SCRAPS. I empty the container into the compost bin as needed, and add grass clippings, mulched leaves, fireplace ash, sawdust, etc., as they are available. Earlier this spring, I worked in ALL of the available compost...about 3 cubic feet...into my two vegetable gardens, so I am now restarting the compost bin from scratch. It is excellent fertilizer and a superior soil enhancer. I just shake my head at those folks that put out several bags of lawn clippings every trash pickup day. They have no clue about what they are missing.

glenn514

 

[Rbeckett]

I have the problem of the grain stinking to high h--l for a couple of weeks. How do you keep the smell down? i want to keep it and compost it.

I built a composter out of a 55 gallon screw top container with a 3 inch center post to allow the compost to breathe. It cost me about 45 bucks to build and should last forever. The screw top keeps bugs out and odors in. After a week to 10 days of regularly turning the drum, it has very very little smell if any. If you would like the plans I will be glad to send them your way. I'll try and attatch a pic of the completed composter too. It was a blast to build and took about 2 hours all told. The plumbing supplies are all readilly available even at your local little bitty hardware stores. The drums are the key and they vary considerably in price so shop around. Mine was 19 dollars. Hope this helps get you going and green too.
Bob

 

[mb82]

I have the problem of the grain stinking to high h--l for a couple of weeks. How do you keep the smell down? i want to keep it and compost it.

Aerate the compost often after mixing grains will help with the smell.