What do you do with your sediment?

[Cheesepolp]

I just transferred my first batch of brew to my secondary glass carboy. I was aware to expect sediment, but dear lord. So much of it. Severely unprepared for this I put it into my compost bin.
So what do you do with yours? Can I expect as much sediment with my carboy, If so what will I do with it? Looking froward to ideas and personal stories.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

I dump it down the drain into my septic

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Compost

890

 

[carl spakler]

I dump it down the drain into my septic

I thought I read that yeast can upset the balance of power in a septic system leading to an expensive (and stinky) problem.

 

[conpewter]

Down the drain for me. I sometimes put it on the compost pile. I thought yeast were good for septic systems? I'm on sewer anyway...

 

[flyangler18]

Into the compost it goes.

 

[IanP]

Down the drain, into the sewers. I figure it must be yeasties heaven down there...

 

[HorribleCatfish]

Into the toilet for the next person to flush. One time, it happened to be the neighbor...she was horrified

 

[beerkrump]

+1 for compost.

 

[EdWort]

I dump it down the drain into my septic

+1 I stopped paying for Rid-X after I started brewing again. :cross:

 

[Rick500]

I dump it in the woods behind my backyard.

 

[pjj2ba]

It makes great fertilizer as is. Mine goes directly into the garden or on the lawn. If you go the lawn route, thin it out and spread it around or you'll get dark green lush patches that can look out of place.

 

[davesrose]

Can I expect as much sediment with my carboy, If so what will I do with it?

No, with your secondary, there's going to be less sediment. Secondary is where you're doing conditioning, and all your active fermentation is going on in your primary. During this time, yeast are eating and reproducing. While they're doing that, they're expelling a lot of gas and a lot of organic compounds that solidify and start settling on the bottom.

As for me, I just pour some water over that yeast cake....swirl it, dump it in the kitchen sink, then re-rinse.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

I thought I read that yeast can upset the balance of power in a septic system leading to an expensive (and stinky) problem.

Can't say that I've ever heard, quite the opposite actually.Been doing it for years and never had an issue.

 

[Mr. Nice Guy]

What nobody makes yeastie smoothies... mmmm!


(I just pour mine down the sink, I usually pour a bunch of sanitizer down it the same day so I don't think the yeast could do much. My idophor says something about disposing a lot of it but I was unsure if they meant diluted or not so I just RDWHAHB'd it)

 

[LakeErieBrew]

Separate the yeast from that sediment before you dump it. That way you can get more than one use out of your yeast. You can reuse the same yeast over and over (to a point). It's very easy to do.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

To answer your question, wash it down the drain.

 

[BeerPressure]

I drink it. It's the best part.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I always convince myself that I am going to eat it so that I can absorb the strength of the spent yeasies, so I usually store the last bit from the carboy in a 2 quart container in the fridge for a day or so. After that I am usually left with ~1 glass of "beer" and yeast milkshake. I usually get 1 spoonful into the shake before I just can't handle the texture and mix it with some spent Star-San for the garden.

 

[Sigafoos]

Generally I dump it, but I've also washed once (and maybe will again with my hefe) and with my brown I made pretzels ala the recipe floating around here somewhere (they were good but not great, but I'm all but positive those were my shortcomings and not the recipe's).

 

[homebrewer_99]

I wash a lot of yeast (70 plus vials currently on-hand), but whenever I have a 4th/5th generation it goes to the compost pile...how's this work on grass?

I'd like to hear more.

 

[pjj2ba]

Just spread it out. Many years ago when I first started brewing I just added a little water, sloshed it and then dumped it in the lawn outside my apartment. Within a month, the there was a lush deep green patch about 3 ft diameter where the yeast went (lots of iron and nitrogen). I looked a bit out of place next to the regular pale green grass.

So that is the trick, you need to dilute it extra and spread it around more evenly to avoid dark green patches - or just brew a lot more often and rotate where you dump it

They make siphons connectors for garden hoses like this one. You could just put the end in the slurry and then hook it up to a sprinkler. Or use a wort wizard if you have one

 

[IrregularPulse]

Neat idea with the grass. My new fermenter in in the garage so I may just do this one some dead areas.

 

[Cheesepolp]

I always convince myself that I am going to eat it so that I can absorb the strength of the spent yeasies, so I usually store the last bit from the carboy in a 2 quart container in the fridge for a day or so. After that I am usually left with ~1 glass of "beer" and yeast milkshake. I usually get 1 spoonful into the shake before I just can't handle the texture and mix it with some spent Star-San for the garden.

Best idea ever. It's on. I'm actually excited for some more sediment.

 

[NickBoz]

throw it over my fence for my neighbor to deal with