Spent Grain? Make Your Best Friend Cookies!

[Moe]

Careful with the canned pumpkin. I know that vets will give that to animals as a laxative.

I had one vet recommend canned pumpkin for our dog,,,,,,, after we moved, another vet said that canned pumpkin was way too much fiber for our dog (Beagle), and told us to stop.

 

[droopy77]

i feed my spent grains to the kids chickens, they go nuts for them. unfortunately it does not make beer flavored eggs lol

 

[brewstev]

one question, can humans eat these too

 

[passedpawn]

I had one vet recommend canned pumpkin for our dog,,,,,,, after we moved, another vet said that canned pumpkin was way too much fiber for our dog (Beagle), and told us to stop.

That's funny, I got canned pumpkin for my dog (I mixed it with normal dry kibble) and my dog told me to NEVER stop.

 

[AugustDerleth]

one question, can humans eat these too

Did you read any of the previous posts?

 

[dmbGator]

My Italian Greyhound Loves my beer. He only gets a very small amount, unless I walk away from a beer and he decides to knock it over. I am going to make these and I bet he will love them. Thanks!

 

[bendavanza]

I know that rice hulls are probably just going to pass, but a recent stuck mash ended up with 1.5lbs rice hulls, It was just too rough of a mix.

 

[Moe]

That's funny, I got canned pumpkin for my dog (I mixed it with normal dry kibble) and my dog told me to NEVER stop.

Oh! Our dog loved the stuff,,, you'd say pumpkin and she'd start to drool But, beiung a beagle she didn't care what problems she might have later,,,, it was just eat, eat, eat, eat ;-) She had a lot of problems with her back side. After a new vet put her on meat diet (raw meat mixed with dried vegies and other good stuff( http://www.sojos.com/index.html )) all her problems went away.

 

[knotquiteawake]

We use pumpkin for our 19lb Boston Terrier. she was having bowel movement issues, straining REALLY hard, just adding a spoonful of it to her dry kibble makes her go nuts and also has helped her poop much better. She pretty much won't eat the kibble regular now unless she waits over a day to eat (and is starving).

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

Two questions:

I have some spare grain from a previous brew day that didn't make it into the mash tun - has anyone made these with regular dry unmashed grain? My guess is that you would crush it and then need more liquid to work it and maybe less flour since there would be extra starch in the grain.

One of my dogs does not tolerate wheat well - he is on a dog food with barley and rice and no wheat. Has anyone made this with a different kind of flour? I know you can buy malted barley flour in some stores. I was wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with that or any other type of flour in place of wheat flour.

I was thinking of taking some of the grain and pulverizing the living daylights out of it to turn it into a flour (in place of wheat flour) then doing a regular crush on some and adding water to moisten in place of spent grain. Any thoughts?

 

[bad coffee]

If the grain is uncrushed, save it for the next batch. No sense just giving it to the dog.

I've made these with rice flour for a problem dog. I don't remember how much I ended up using, I haven't really measured anything since my first batch.

There should be a whole selection of flours at your grocery store nowadays. I buy 'Bob's Red Mill' brand. They have rice, oat, barley, and other non-wheat flours.

Cheers,
B

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

Cool, thanks for the info. I was thinking that maybe other types of flour with different amounts of gluten may cause the biscuits to not hold together, but I was not real sure.

I also was considering using the fresh grain since I do not have any spent grain from a brew day and I was going to bring some biscuits to my family members for their dogs as a Christmas present to the pooches.

 

[bad coffee]

I just threw in an extra egg. I also portion the biscuits out with a cookie scoop, and they hold together pretty well.

B

 

[HItransplant]

made some of these yesterday...turned out great. I added a few tablespoons worth of tap water because it wasnt mixing together well (maybe I had a little too much grain).


Oh, and I only left them in the oven for 2 hrs at 225-- they were plenty dry by then.


waste not, want not.

 

[cheesecake]

making some right now...

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Just posted this in another spent grain thread and thought I should post it here in the dog treat info:

My lab thinks they are puppy crack

I made a ton of these for my mother-in-law to give away at the hospital (she's a nurse) for Christmas. Over 25 people and they ALL say their dogs love them and are wanting to buy them now...spent grain dog biscuits = free beer for me :rockin:
Several people have told me their dogs won't eat other dog treats now!!!

I also make bread in my bread machine...just throw all the ingredients in and it does the work. I threw a big party for my graduation with a ton of homebrew and a friends kick ass mop brisket and the bread was a huge hit, everyone said it was great.
Crackers are good too but you have to roll them really thin and make sure you don't burn them.

The biggest tip I can give is to not just follow a recipe but work out consistency for yourself. If I use wet grains it takes more flour (sometimes a LOT more) to get it right. In a bread machine the dough shouldn't stick to the sides. For dog treats I don't follow directions to mash it all into the bottom of the pan...that did not work for me. You can make them dry enough to use cookie cutters but you have to keep rolling in flour. The best way I figured out to make a lot is to use a cheap cookie press with the 1 big slot. Just pump out a long bar, cut with a pizza cutter, and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper...NOT WAX PAPER. It will make your life a lot easier. Cook for 20 min at 250-300, then turn heat to low or warm and let them dry completely. You can turn the oven off and leave them overnight.

 

[ddc]

Just posted this in another spent grain thread and thought I should post it here in the dog treat info:

My lab thinks they are puppy crack

I made a ton of these for my mother-in-law to give away at the hospital (she's a nurse) for Christmas. Over 25 people and they ALL say their dogs love them and are wanting to buy them now...spent grain dog biscuits = free beer for me :rockin:
Several people have told me their dogs won't eat other dog treats now!!!

Yep, puppy crack is the consensus here in San Diego too. And if you ever get tired of making the treats you can always point them to my site

http://doggiebeerbones.com

I've also got a few different uses for grain that I've tried on my FB fan page, check it out when you have a sec!

http://www.facebook.com/doggiebeerbones

Best,
Dave

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Yep, puppy crack is the consensus here in San Diego too. And if you ever get tired of making the treats you can always point them to my site

http://doggiebeerbones.com

I've also got a few different uses for grain that I've tried on my FB fan page, check it out when you have a sec!

http://www.facebook.com/doggiebeerbones

Best,
Dave

Are you using a silicone bone mold to get them consistent? Baking in it or just molding? They look great. I have been trying to figure out how to get them consistent and fast...the cookie press is best so far, but no attractive shapes.

 

[ddc]

Are you using a silicone bone mold to get them consistent? Baking in it or just molding? They look great. I have been trying to figure out how to get them consistent and fast...the cookie press is best so far, but no attractive shapes.

Yep, using silicone bone molds to bake them in. The most time consuming part for me is filling the molds. When I started doing these I baked at 350 for the first hour then remove them from the molds and do a slow/low bake to remove all moisture.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the molds? I considered going that route but could only find bones on ebay and was not convinced it was food grade and could not find baking sheet/ dog bone sized silicone molds. With the rave reviews and growing interest I'm considering trying to make this work as a supplemental income through grad school...or at least fund my brewing making my lovely and rather tolerant wife happy!!!

Looks like you are having most luck with LHBS and pub...have you tried getting in to dog spas/ boutiques? Did you have to do anything to satisfy county/ state/ federal law or health depts?

Cheers

 

[ddc]

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the molds? I considered going that route but could only find bones on ebay and was not convinced it was food grade and could not find baking sheet/ dog bone sized silicone molds. With the rave reviews and growing interest I'm considering trying to make this work as a supplemental income through grad school...or at least fund my brewing making my lovely and rather tolerant wife happy!!!

Looks like you are having most luck with LHBS and pub...have you tried getting in to dog spas/ boutiques? Did you have to do anything to satisfy county/ state/ federal law or health depts?

Cheers

Sure, no problem. I use Demarle food grade silicone molds, you can get them several places so just google for them and choose.

I started my little endeavor into this back in June. The treats are very well received with both the dogs and their beer drinking owners. Regarding the law, I took all necessary steps to make this a viable business. Trademarked the name and logo, business license, insurance and fictitious business name requirements for California. I also had to buy a pet food processors license. Not sure if you have something similar in your state, but definitely worth looking into if you're going to sell them.

Also, I'd really encourage you to look into the business requirements of this as the insurance part is pretty important. Feel free to email me outside of this forum if you like.

Thanks,
Dave
[email protected]

 

[Bastido]

I have been making these dog treats for a while and the dogs love them.
My husband and I are brewing today and I want to make more but don't have any peanut butter in the house. So I am thinking of making a different flavor. Has anyone ever used bacon grease to flavor? If so, how much would I add?

 

[bad coffee]

I used to keep a small coffee cup on the back of the stove to hold my bacon grease. When I made the biscuits I added whatever was in the cup, maybe 1/2 - 3/4 cup. The house smelled great, but the biscuits were oily.
Next time I'd just add a couple of tablespoons.

If your dog has been eating them up till now, I bet you could even go without the bacon and the dog will still chow them down.

B

 

[Bastido]

I used to keep a small coffee cup on the back of the stove to hold my bacon grease. When I made the biscuits I added whatever was in the cup, maybe 1/2 - 3/4 cup. The house smelled great, but the biscuits were oily.
Next time I'd just add a couple of tablespoons.
If your dog has been eating them up till now, I bet you could even go without the bacon and the dog will still chow them down.
B

Awesome, Thanks for the advice!

 

[MaxSpang]

This is such a wonderful idea!

Now my dog can be just as excited as I am about getting into AG brewing!

 

[Yooper]

This is such a wonderful idea!

Now my dog can be just as excited as I am about getting into AG brewing!

I made Toby some dog cookies today. He actually knew what I was doing- and stood about 5 feet from the oven the entire time! He's not allowed in the kitchen, but the dining room is just a few feet away and he stood in the dining room waiting!

I gave him one before it was completely dried- just pulled it out of the oven and let it cool- and he went wild. They are his favorite treat! He loves grain, and he loves peanut butter, so he was a very happy dog.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Same with Guinness...she isn't allowed in the kitchen but sits right at the edge the whole time they are baking! She knows she is going to get a fresh treat and she always gets a couple little bites of raw dough! Very happy puppy

 

[elCreed]

What a great tip! I made these yesterday just to see what kind of response I would get from the dogs and they LOVED them! Plus my kids are excited to make dog treats for them now. They even asked me to brew again soon, guess I should oblige them!

 

[Golddiggie]

I have these in the oven right now... Went with the original recipe of:

6 cups spent grain
2 cups flour (AP)
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Made enough to almost fill one cookie sheet pan (1/2 sheet pan size) at about 1/4" thickness (might be a little thinner)... I scored them at about 1" wide, then a few inches long (varies by where from the long sides they were)... Got them drying out in the oven now (around 225-250)... Will see how they are after two hours there (also baked them for 30 minutes at 350F)...

I have one cousin with a dog, so she's going to get most of these... I'm going to see if my neighbor, with a dog, would like to 'test' some out for me...

 

[Smashing]

Got these in the oven. Tried this on monday after I brewed and it went great. My dog won't stop staring at me. This time I went for more of a dough with them which required me to adjust the flour on the fly. The grains were really wet. Next time I may put them in a colander to drain a bit.