Making dog treats out of spent grain?

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MOD EDIT: To make the thread more clear (removed "yeast").

My friends have a dog, and since I can't ship my homebrew to them, I was wanting to make dog treats for thier dog out of the grain at the bottom of my mash tun.

What is the best way to do this? Just put them in the oven? What temp? etc.
 
If you make your friends the Grain Dog Treats. That dog would hold the flashlight for you if you went to rob them. They just plain love them. Well worth the effort. I had one happy dog. Then the treats ran out. Now she just looks at me, as if saying "Time to brew Ron, Time to brew" Somehow my wife just don't understand dog thought.

The store bought treats just don't cut it after she had a taste of the good life.

Stay away from anything with hops in it though. I think they say that could kill a dog.
 
My friends have a dog, and since I can't ship my homebrew to them, I was wanting to make dog treats for thier dog out of the yeast at the bottom of my fermenter.

What is the best way to do this? Just put them in the oven? What temp? etc.

I wouldn't use the yeast, it probably has some hops in it which would kill the dog. The treat recipe that somebody put here is good, but triple the peanut butter and add some oil (otherwise it is too dry and crumbles, though they still like it)
 
???? Why did I put yeast???? I totally meant Grain!!!!

Thanks for the info.

Does this work if I only steep? I haven't moved up to all grain yet? I usually use about 1 - 2 lbs of grain so I can probably get some out of them, but probably not the full recipe, maybe half right?
 
Spent Grain Dog Biscuits
4 cups spent grain
4 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Press down into a dense layer on a large cookie sheet. Score almost all the way through into the shapes you want. Bake for about half an hour at 350 F to solidify them. Loosen them from the sheet, break the biscuits apart and return them, loosely spread out on the cookie sheet, to the oven at 225 F for 3 to 4 hours (or until they are really dry) to prevent mold growth. Store in an airtight container to keep them dry and mold-free.

Edit: you can also just turn the oven off after a few hours and leave them in overnight. This works well also.
 
Sure, when I brew I just use a bowl and scoop out some grains for the treats. I didn't measure, but I bet it's only a pound or two (well, after they're wet, it's hard to tell because it's much heavier, but it seems like it would only be a couple of pounds of grain).

The rest of the spent grain goes on the compost pile.

My dog LOVES those treats. He goes wild for then- it's definitely his favorite thing.
 
My dog spent half an hour in the kitchen, staring at the oven while I started these... They are like crack to dogs...

The only thing I can stress is to make sure they are completely dry when you finish them... If not, they will get moldy...
 
No... They will be somewhat moist when you start them... Just make sure they are dry when you are finished baking them...

Good luck!
:mug:
 
I usually use about 1 - 2 lbs of grain so I can probably get some out of them, but probably not the full recipe, maybe half right?
I made a batch of beer a while back, and I only had 3/4 of a pound of grain. Guess how many cups it was for the above recipe? Exactly 4.

And I think that crack is not an accurate description. Maybe crack laced with meth and weed...
 
I think I am going to attempt to make these tomorrow. I have one last question. I am going to make a Magic Hat clone with .25 Crystal, and .75 english or german wheat.

Is it okay to have that much wheat instead of grain?
 
I think I am going to attempt to make these tomorrow. I have one last question. I am going to make a Magic Hat clone with .25 Crystal, and .75 english or german wheat.

Is it okay to have that much wheat instead of grain?

Er, wheat is a grain. ;)

You know, the descriptions of "like crack to dogs" are accurate! My dog is still staring out the oven, from when I put them in there Sunday evening and let them dry all night and the next day. He goes crazy for these treats!
 
Sorry bout the stupid questions, but I'm making them for other peoples dogs and I don't want to kill them, give them the runs and ruin any carpets.
 
Sorry bout the stupid questions, but I'm making them for other peoples dogs and I don't want to kill them, give them the runs and ruin any carpets.

A lofty goal, I must say! :mug:

Seriously, it's like some grape nuts added to peanut butter and a couple of eggs, with some flour to hold it together. Nothing fancy, but the dogs love them, and I don't have so much waste. Out of the 13 pounds of grain in my last batch, only about two pounds were saved for the dog biscuits. But he's a happy dog, and I'm a happy drunk. So, it all works out.
 
I made them last week and while the Teacup Poodle (the ruler of the house at 18 oz) cant chew them, the Irish Wolfhound loves them.
 
Ah! This is my "baby":

DSCF0001.jpg

He eats them quickly and efficiently!
 
Has anyone done this with just the specialty grains (crystal malt, chocolate malt, de-bittered dark, etc.)? I wonder if it would have a bad taste...maybe I should try one? :)
 
The doggie beer bars are VERY VERY good for the pups (and humans). partially germinated grain is super rich in goodness,

I add a little more peanut butter and two eggs.

You can tell the dogs love them when they will take it to the carpet to eat them.
 
+1 on the dogs going nuts. We've made this exact recipe a couple of times with a few different grains and our dogs inhale them.

We've never had any kind of digestive problems or anything with them either.
 
Sadly I won't be able to make them tonight during my brew night, SWMBO must wants to make me dinner (which I was planning on drinking). I will put them in a tupperware and in fridge over night and make them tomorrow.
 
Has anyone done this with just the specialty grains (crystal malt, chocolate malt, de-bittered dark, etc.)? I wonder if it would have a bad taste...maybe I should try one? :)

Dogs eat garbage and cat poop so that do exactly have a delicate palate so I think you will be fine. I tried the treats I made a few weeks ago. I think it was about 50/50 'regular' grains/'specialty' grains. They tasted like very very bland granola bars. The dogs (I have 4) all loved them though. Even the finky one who normaly doesn't like hard treats crushed it up and at all the little bits.
 
My dogs pratically piss themselves when they smell these baking. They love them. As much as I brew, I still can't keep them supplied in them.
 
I made these and they are a big hit with all dogs. But can you keep the grains covered and in the fridge for a week or so before you bake them?
 
nope. the grain will start to get real funky. You'll smell it.

You could freeze the grain though.

The last batch I made I did two new things:

1: I dumped all the grain in a colander and let most of the water drain out. the grain was only there the time it takes to clean out the mash tun. The less water in the dough, the faster the biscuits bake.

I think I ended up with 12 cups of grain. The rest went into the compost pile.

2: I made dough balls rather than rolled them out. It's not quite as fast, but I did it while boiling, so I had the time. I packed them on a cookie sheet as close as I could, then put them in a 200* oven overnight. Simple serving, and you can roll them across the floor.

And I don't even have a dog... I just can't seem to waste all the grain...

B
 
will the grain go bad if it sits for a few days? i made the dog biscuits but i wanted to make more for some friends with the left over grain. but I opened the ziploc bag and there is a funny smell but not sure if it is just the way the grain smells when it sits or if it is bad.
 

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