Spent Grain Poll

[rhys333]

I compost all of mine. I've noticed it tends to produce a more granular compost and some of the husk remains, but it's very good as mulch or spread on the lawn.

If anyone knows how to get it composting all the way down, I'm interested to hear what you do.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Only up to 62% of voters selected one of the first three options.
Perhaps it's unclear whether composting counts as "using" the spent grains.
Oh well.

And yes, I would give my spent grain to someone if they'd come get it.

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

I give mine to a friend who has chickens

 

[waldoar15]

I dump mine out back somewhere in the garden. Whatever the critters don't eat gets tilled in eventually.

 

[radwizard]

I always compost it.

 

[Dland]

Feed it to the hens.

 

[PADave]

I've made pizza dough with spent grains a few times, but that doesn't take much, and not very often. Otherwise it all gets dumped into the woods.

 

[PADave]

I’m curious, if you made it into bread or pizza dough, how do you get the husks out. I always taste my grain before mashing in, but after chewing it for a while I’m left with a mouth full of husks, yuck.

You don't, just use as is.

 

[catdaddy66]

I sprinkle on top of compost pile. Sometimes the deer clean it up...other times they don't touch it and walk right on by. Same grain bill so its not like they don't like something or other in it. I keep the spent hops separated so that doesn't foul the taste for the animals if they choose to eat it. If they don't, the worms have a heck of a meal composting the grains and I get great garden soil for veggies and potted plants next year.

I am curious about the use in composting. My knowledge on the subject is that making hot compost needs air, water, 'greens' (ie, nitrogen rich) and 'browns' (carbone rich). There should be about a 7:1 ratio of browns:greens.

My question... Are spent grains considered greens or browns? My pile needs more carbon.

 

[bleme]

I am curious about the use in composting. My knowledge on the subject is that making hot compost needs air, water, 'greens' (ie, nitrogen rich) and 'browns' (carbone rich). There should be about a 7:1 ratio of browns:greens.

My question... Are spent grains considered greens or browns? My pile needs more carbon.

Grains are Green - If you don't have an abundance of leaves, check with cabinet shops and such for sawdust. That's a heavy brown.

 

[passedpawn]

into the woods. I voted compost.

 

[Blazinlow86]

compost for me too. cheers

 

[jrgtr42]

I usually keep a quart or so for bread making, the rest generally goes into my garden or compost bin. I've occasionally tossed a batch in the trash, but only when I procrastinate / forget about dumping out the mash for too long.

 

[ba-brewer]

I used to compost it but it gave the pile a strong feed lot smell, so it was going into the green waste bin to be composted somewhere else.

I now feed it to a neighbors horses. The best part of that is seeing them eyeball my truck whenever I drive past them and hearing them neah at me when I stop.

 

[Spartan1979]

I tried spreading it out on the lawn. I also tried mixing it into the garden soil. In both cases it just attracted ants so it goes in the trash.

 

[petemoss]

Wow. A lot of you guys have chickens. That's cool and all. It just seems odd that so many homebrewers also raise chickens. Maybe time for another poll.

 

[rhys333]

Has anyone tried mixing spent grains and wood chips to make compost? If so, did the chips break down quickly?

 

[ba-brewer]

Cant answer your question, but I used to compost my spent grain and it gives a pungent feedlot like aroma to the pile you could smell from 30ft away.

 

[rhys333]

Cant answer your question, but I used to compost my spent grain and it gives a pungent feedlot like aroma to the pile you could smell from 30ft away.

I know it's pretty powerful stuff, which I why I'm wondering if chunky wood chips would be a good thing mix with them. High nitrogen paired with high carbon?

 

[kh54s10]

I composted for years. It was 50 ft from my house. After the first day I never smelled anything. I would suggest mixing it in with leaves and or dirt. Wood chips would take to long to decompose.

 

[day_trippr]

If I do a particularly big beer (eg: 10 gallons of 1.110 stout) in the warmer months there can be a couple of days of "Holy cow - what the hell died in the back yard??" after I've dumped the spent grains in the compost pile. Then again, I usually donate the grains to the neighbors chickens - they go nuts for it - and then we get the even more pungent aroma of chicken crap instead

Cheers!

 

[LeeH]

I give some to my chickens but not loads as I presume the nutritional value is very low. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[bleme]

I give some to my chickens but not loads as I presume the nutritional value is very low. Correct me if I’m wrong.

We do a pretty good job of getting the carbs out of the grain, but we leave most of the germ, which is solid protein. Dehydrated spent grain is about 20% protein and 70% fiber.

https://www.barleylabs.com/blogs/ne...-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-spent-grain

 

[Mic Carp]

Currently throwing it out, but have been researching bread recipes so I can start adding more buttery carbs to my diet.

 

[kh54s10]

Currently throwing it out, but have been researching bread recipes so I can start adding more buttery carbs to my diet.

If you want to use all your spent grain..... You are going to be eating an awful lot of bread!!!! You would use less than one pound in a loaf....

 

[firerat]

I live in a small townhouse in the suburbs so no neighbors with chickens or horses.

I make dog treats with some and bread a few times with moderate success so I usually keep a lb or 2 to freeze but the rest I toss out.

Recently I started a hot pepper garden so maybe I'll start a small compost bin and keep a bit more.

Would this make good compost for peppers? I'm as green as grass growing them.

 

[bleme]

Recently I started a hot pepper garden so maybe I'll start a small compost bin and keep a bit more.

Would this make good compost for peppers? I'm as green as grass growing them.

They are high nitrogen (like grass clipping), so would need a high carbon like leaves or newspaper to balance.

 

[bracconiere]

i dump my spent grain in the garden around my tobacco plants....not sure how good it works, but that's what i do....

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

I eat some for luck. Don't ask
made bread twice
Compost the rest

 

[kingmatt]

I currently throw it out because I don't have a garden but will most likely start composting it when we move to our new house, sometime next year (hopefully!)