How to Store Spent Grain

I was curious how you guys store spent grain. Do you dry it in the oven let it dry naturally on the counter or other? I want to make some food with it http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef/

They have an article to dry it in 7 hours but I'm taking off after I brew so in the oven for 7 hours is not possible. http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/how-to-dry-spent-grain/

I let it dry on the counter but or outside but i live in a very dry climate FL might not provide the same situation but its worth a try, lots of those recipes don't call for that much spent grain so experimenting would never hurt

when i don't feed it to my chickens i do dry spent grains in the oven at the lowest setting .

takes a couple hours and it needs to be turned in order to dry evenly.

then store in freezer rated zip bags in the freezer.

i used to dry it for the chickens but i found they like it damp anyways...saves electrity!

after squeezing the bag there's very little fluid left...last couple of brews had zero fluid in the bucket i put it in until i can break away to feed the chickens....

GD

I was wondering the same cause my dad wanted it for his hunting cabin for the deer. I was just unsure how it would hold up after a week or two. Also do deer like it?

Since I'm going to be taking off after the brew session perhaps spreading it out on a couple cookie sheets and have a fan (on low)?

Boo-urns said:

I was curious how you guys store spent grain.

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trash can

Boo-urns said:

Since I'm going to be taking off after the brew session perhaps spreading it out on a couple cookie sheets and have a fan (on low)?

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I can confirm that works fine. It does help if you can move the grain around every 8 hours or so. I've also done the oven method, but figured the fan would be cheaper to run. I've also stored portions in ziplock backs and frozen for when I want to use wet grains.

What are some of the uses for spent grain? II haven't made it to ag brewing yet but I figured I'd just feed it to my pigs like they do with distillers grains

I toss it in my raised garden beds.

winenewb172 said:

What are some of the uses for spent grain? II haven't made it to ag brewing yet but I figured I'd just feed it to my pigs like they do with distillers grains

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Of course the pigs will love it, but you can cook with it. Lots of recipes here. I like the spent grain bread, but my gf doesn't. The best thing I made was homemade pretzels that were good, but kind of a PITA to make. And then there are some things that didn't come out good - pizza crust, waffles and cookies. Part of me thinks for all the extra work saving, drying, grinding, freezing etc and all the extra ingredients I need to make these things, I might be better off tossing them.

Is dried grain sticky? I would love to try to use it as kitty litter if I could figure out a way to dry it properly in bulk amounts.

I freeze it and give it to friends with chickens. I only freeze it because it is usually a few days after I brew I see them and don't want any funky mold starting. I usually let it sit out for a few hours to cool down before I throw it in the freezer.

I store mine in a contractor garbage bag, then throw it in the dumpster at work.
The stuff atracts rodents and flies, and to me, the rewards are not worth the risk.

Unless you dry it well and reasonably quickly (within a day) it gets stinky fast. I left some in a bucket overnight and it smelled like concentrated death when I found it the next day. If you dump it in a composter or on your garden beds be sure to spread it out well.

My wife has a dehydrator, and I use it to dry some of my spent grains. After the grains are dried, I keep them in a Vlasic pickle jar! They are good-sized jars, and reseal quite well.

glenn514