Using Spent Brewing Grains

After brewing beer you have over 10lbs of grain plus the absorbed water, now what to do with it. A majority of the sugars and some proteins have been pulled out of the grain during the mashing process, so it will have a higher fiber to sugar ratio.

Uses:

Compost - The majority of the grain gets added to my compost pile, I add a bag of grass clippings it the mix to help it compost.

Feeding Stock - The grains can be used to supplement the feed of several different animals such as Chickens, Cows, Pigs, Sheep, Fish or anything that eats grains. Feed it fresh so it will not mold and possibly harm the animals.

Make flower - Dry the grain then grind/mill. I use an oven on low to dry the grains on a baking sheet and a food processor to get the consistency that I want. If ground to a fine texture it can be used in place of whole grain flower. If using a grain mill it might need to be ran through twice.

Bake with it - Use the flower created above and start baking. Good for bread, cookies, dog biscuits, pizza dough, etc.

Sour Dough - I will try adding our sour dough starter to cup or two of wet spent grain that was sent through a food processor for better texture.

Second beer - Mash the grain again to get more sugar out, this mostly works when making high gravity beers.

Grow mushrooms - Spent grain is rich in nitrates and sulfates that help the mushrooms grow. First pasteurize the grain by heating it to 170f for 1-2hrs a pressure cooker might be the best option for this. Let cool and add your mushroom spawn. Shitake and oyster work for this.

Use for fuel - Can be used as a biomass for gasifiers or anaerobic digesters. Press into bricks and use it like fire wood.