Any homebrewers out there?

[Murrow]

I was wondering if any homebrewers have ever tried adding spent grain to a compost pile.

For those of you unfamiliar to the process, the grains (mostly barley) have been malted. That is to say, the germination process was started, and then halted soon after. My concern is that they may break down too slowly to be worthwhile. I'm using a vermicompost system at the moment, but may add a full compost pile in the future. Any thoughts?

[thanrose]

I don't know how the worms would like it, but I've added any detritus from home brewing to my compost with no problem. I'm really limited to what I can brew or ferment these past few years. Stuff like fruit pulp from wine and cooked rice used for sake will break down quite readily.

Can't say that I recall how long it took for the malted grain to break down, since I usually had three compost piles going. I know the sprouted grains took less time than old fungus-riddled grain I tossed on the pile, but that had to do with moisture content.

If you have squirrels, they will dispose of anything like that. They love funky old seed and grain. Sprouted AND moldy are haute cuisine to squirrels.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I would think your worms would like it, too. The yeast wouldn't be a problem, I'd think, but the alcohol content would have to be low or nil.

[NokeStar GreenThumb]

I'm a home brewer and do all grain brews. I have been adding spent grains to my regular compost. I noticed that they really attract flies and other critters but being high in nitrogen they also seem to really get my compost pile going! The smell can be bad as well but can easily be drown out by a thick addition of browns.

I read about a guy in GA who is a professional worm farmer and sells his worms for fishing. He uses spent grains as his main source of food for the worms and gets it from a local micro brewer.

link: https://www.rodaleinstitute.org/200309/Connett

[Murrow]

A word of caution: Add this stuff slowly! I added a bit too much, and it's overheating the bin (and stinking up the room). I had to remove about half of what I put in and aim a fan at the bin to keep it from getting too hot for the worms. I'll follow up if I run into any more problems.

[nealf]

I am a homebrewer and usually do 10 gallon batches so I have a lot of grain after all is said and done. I have considered several times using the spent grain as a mulch (in a light layer), do you think it would end up stinking terribly? I generally add a decent amount to my container garden during the winter months when I don't have to worry about the grains getting too smelly and then I will mix it in before spring after is has broken down a good bit.

Otherwise I usually toss them into the compost pile.

[mtmickey]

My husband brews 14-20 gallon batches at a time and we always put the spent grains in the compost pile. Had to cover the pile though, cuz the neighbor's dogs kept coming over and eating the grain. It definitely helps the pile and we turn it a week or two after adding the spent grains. We also put the pulp and such from making wine in the compost.

[FrFtr28]

I'm an all-grain brewer, and while I haven't tried composting the spent grains I have heard good things about it. I will usually make some treats for my dog with the spent grains, and I plan on baking some bread too with them (the grains, not the dog).

[thanrose]

Yeah: pets are not so good in bread, but make wicked cacciatore! LOL.

I don't say this in normal company, but I make vinegar too. All y'all homebrewers and vintners know it's a separate process. I've made my own wild mother, or I guess you could say the fruit flies made it, but anyway the sweetish rotting fruit and alcohol mix with dead fruit flies in has always gone on the edge of a compost once I've rescued bits of the mother. I figure any alcohol will be so diluted it won't damage a pile before it evaporates. I think I'd be more concerned with any sulfites messing with the chemistry and biota.

And no, making your own mother is not really worth it save in the experiential/experimental sense. I've had good; I've had bad. It's like using wild yeasts to make your wine or brew. Interesting but risky.

And for the non-brewers reading, no. Bad wine or beer is not vinegar. You need passable or good wine or beer to make vinegar. Bad is just bad. Often because of wild yeasts or poor technique.

[nealf]

We're going pretty severely OT on this; but, would you recommend purchasing a mother culture or actually just experimenting until you find one you like? I have been considering getting one for a while but haven't yet.

Here is a great thread for dog treat recipes if you haven't used it yet:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/spent-grain-make-your-best-friend-cookies-87097/

[thanrose]

Dang, that's a good use for the spent grain. I noted that thread is 25 pages long. Anyhow, on that first page, a fellow named Zymurgrafi said he composts his spent grain, but the dog will eat it directly off the compost heap. I've seen squirrels and birds eat it that way, and suspect the raccoons and opossum do too. I don't recall what my dogs did back in the day. Heck, they ate grain spent by horse digestive tracts.

As far as vinegar mother, buy it by all means. Unless you like the whole Dr Frankenstein experimental thing and are not digusted by little dead insect corpses. Don't worry about white wine vs red wine vs malt vinegar mother. At least it hasn't made any difference in my results.

Mmm, a good stout vinegar almost makes you not regret wasting a good stout. Vinegar making is useful for when you have too much of a moderately good thing in your brewing.

[NokeStar GreenThumb]

I brew with a buddy of mine who has a Golden Retriever and his dog won't leave spent grain alone. He will literally sift through the yard picking up one speck at a time for hours!

[Gary350]

I am an all grain brewer I put all my spent grain in my compost. I put 15 lbs of spent grain in the compost last time. It has no bad effects on my compost. I also make wine and I dump all the wine left overs in the compost too.

American beer tastes like pee pee water I have no idea why anyone would want to drink that. American beer is like winter grocery store tomatoes and foreign beer is like home grown garden tomatoes are far as flavor goes. I like British Brown Ale, Irish Brown Oatmeal Stout, German Oktoberfest beer. I don't make wine from scratch anymore I buy kits but I never follow the instructions very close I add extra stuff for added flavor and aroma and I reduce alcohol to about 6% to 7% so I can drink more of it. It is all good for cooking too.