Spent grains from brewing process given to farmers

At Scorched Earth Brewing in Algonquin, grain is warmed and broken up during the brewing process, and it is coarsely ground. This allows the brewers to convert starches into sugars.

When the process is complete, Scorched Earth brewers are left with the spent grains used to make with the beer. To avoid throwing them out, local brewers work with farmers to pick up the spent grains and create another use.

At Scorched Earth, the grains are taken out of a kettle and put into another container for a farmer to pick up for free when brewing is complete, said Mike Dallas, owner of Scorched Earth.

“At this point, it’s a good outreach for us,” Dallas said. “We’re just at the infant stages, but things can change.”

Depending on the style of the beer, about 1,000 pounds of grains is used per batch.

Dallas said he has no interest in throwing out the spent grains.

“We’ve learned a lot about sustainability and conservation. You have to do as much as you can with what you have and be resourceful,” Dallas said. “Why dump it out when it can be used for something? A farmer can use it to feed animals, supplement feed.”

Dallas gives his spent grains to Sandy Robertson, a farmer who lives near Sycamore.

She has used spent grains for a little more than two years and gets spent grains from five microbreweries from around the Chicago area.

“It’s actually pretty good feed and, two years ago, when corn prices were so high, I started looking for other options beside corn to feed cattle,” Robertson said.

Robertson said she can easily use 3,000 pounds of spent grains a day.

Her cows use the grain as filler, and use it to produce their cut, which they chew on as part of the digestive process.

Robertson tries to pick up spent grains the same day they are done being used in the brewing process, or the day after.

“I try to keep it fresh; the cows prefer it fresh,” Robertson said.

She likes using the grains as a way to keep them being thrown out.

“I found out ... if I wasn’t getting [the grains], they would be going straight to the landfill, and to me that’s stupid,” Robertson said.

When workers at Crystal Lake Brewing make a batch of beer, they typically go through 1,200 pounds of barley or grain, said John O’Fallon, co-owner for the microbrewery.

Once the brewing process is done, however, the grains still remain, much like a tea bag when making a cup of tea.

So O’Fallon’s employees put the leftover wet grains into 44-gallon garbage cans. Instead of paying a garbage hauler to take the grains away, O’Fallon works with a farmer to pick up the roughly one ton of spent grains.

“We assume to not throw that away,” O’Fallon added. “It has a lot of value for farmers.”

O’Fallon doesn’t charge Shannon DeVaul to take the grains to her farm near Woodstock, where she uses it to feed chickens and ducks.

DeVaul receives a call from Crystal Lake Brewing once or twice a week letting her know there are spent grains available.

“I try to get them fresh and hot out of the machine and spread it out as fast as possible,” DeVaul said.

The spent grains are fed to animals, and spread out within the compost and mulch, DeVaul said.

“For me it gives me different materials that adds to compost material and it makes composting happen faster,” DeVaul said.

The spent grains also help eliminate weeds in DeVaul’s garden where she uses the grains as mulch and for perennial beds, she said.

“I’ve been green and growing organic since way before it was cool,” DeVaul said.