First time in 4 years garbage bag with spent grain broke lol - which bags are best?

[Rev2010]

Silly question I know but let me 'splain. My wife went to take the garbage up front yesterday and I heard her yell "God daaamnit!!". The garbage bags I put the grain from my pumpkin ale broke open and got all over her feet. Before you guys say it, I usually carry out the heavy trash up front but she took it upon herself. So far I've simply been using doubled kitchen garbage bags, but this time it was my fault and I know what I did wrong. I forgot to drain out the remaining liquid before dumping out the grains - DOH! The bag had swelled up and burst when moving. I fessed up, it was the first beer of the season (I stop each late spring through the summer since I can't control fermentation temps outside of one I can fit in my kegerator) and I simply forgot. But I got to thinking I probably should be using heavier duty bags, especially being the grains are usually still hot when I dump them. Any suggestions as to good strong garbage bags to use?


Rev.

 

[menerdari]

I favorite for being able to handle heavy loads without busting are Glad stress flex bags.
Wish they made them in a lawn and leaf size.

 

[Bellybuster]

i buy the heavy duty bags at Home Depot. cheap and strong.

I learned a good trick with diapers of all things.
Pour the grain in the bag and twist the bag tight to the grain, then turn the bag in on itself so you now have a bag in a bag, then tie. works like a charm

 

[dkwolf]

Next time you're at the store, look at the bags on the shelf. Ignore all the hype on the boxes, you're looking for one specific number - the thickness. Most "kitchen" branded bags are between 0.75 and 0.9 mils thick. A good "Contractor" grade bag is 3 mils. That is all I will buy for my garage (and the basement during the remodel). I've had a bag full enough with construction debris it took two people to lift - and it didn't tear.

These are the ones I use.

 

[unionrdr]

I pull my grain bag from the BK/MT & set a SS colander on top of the kettle to put it in to drain. I even use the kettle lid to push down on it to aid in draining. Dito after batch sparge. Drain well, then dump into doubled up blue store bags, tie off & toss in the garbage can straight away. Got in the habit with two dogs & cats around. Idk why they seem to love things that smell like a$$?

 

[kh54s10]

I take my MT to the compost pile and dump it! My bags are.000 mils thick.....

Contractor bags at the Big Box home improvement store.

 

[andrewf1985]

Know anyone near with chickens?? They love the spent grains

 

[Kharnynb]

I empty by grain-bag into a bucket, then later dump that into the compost.

It seems wasteful to pollute with something that is prime fertiliser...

 

[b-boy]

I used to use the super heavy contractor bags from Lowes. I had a regular bag break once. It's not fun. I had millions of ants show up within an hour.

Last brew I dumped it into a pit on my land. I'm planning on making a compost pile there. Unfortunately my dog discovered it and he keeps eating the spent grain. I think I'm going back to contractor bags.

 

[Kharnynb]

hehe, dogs do love spent grain, you can even bake cookies from your spent grain for your dog....

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/dogs-life-ruff-spent-grain-dog-treats/

 

[brick_haus]

I grab a couple of the nylon mesh 50lb grain bags from the homebrew store every time I'm there. They are meant to hold grain and are no affected by the moisture... And they're free!

 

[Talgrath]

(With apologies to Conan the Barbarian for paraphrasing...)

What is best in life?

A solid, heavy trash bag to throw out your spent grain.

Wrong! Conan, what is best in life?

To compost your spent grain, see it become topsoil before you and to use it grow hops to make more beer.

That is good!

 

[jsbird]

Trash compactor bags. They are a heavier gauge plastic to accommodate the compaction and resulting heavier loads.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brute-Super-Tuff-20-Gallon-Size-Compactor-Bags-20-Ct/10997361

 

[kh54s10]

I keep hearing that animals love the spent grains but nothing, except maybe worms and flies, have ever gotten into the spent grain in my compost pile!!!!

 

[b-boy]

I'll send my dog over. He was eating it for a week. It smelled pretty rancid, but he didn't seem to care. It didn't kill him, so I guess it's safe.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

I split mine up into the cheap grocery store bags. Double those up (making sure neither have holes). It takes about 3-4 bags to get a 10gal grain bill in, but I've got plenty of those. Then I poke a whole in the bottom to let them drain until garbage day and toss those right into the can (or sometimes in with the kitchen garbage if it's a small load).

 

[Rev2010]

For the record, I don't have a compost bin or pile, and I can't dump anything into my backyard or onto the grass or plant soil cause the owner of the house (mother-in-law) won't allow it. My only option is to put the spent grains in the trash.


Rev.

 

[unionrdr]

I just finished a PM with 8.86lbs of grains. It just fit in a doubled up blue grocery bag. Well drained of course...

 

[Rev2010]

I just finished a PM with 8.86lbs of grains. It just fit in a doubled up blue grocery bag. Well drained of course...

Size of the bag isn't an issue, weight and heat are. Again, I've never had a bag burst in all these years up till now, and it was my fault for forgetting to drain the remaining wort, but I've always double bagged which is probably more costly than simply using a single heavy duty bag. Just want to make 99% sure(since 100% is fairly impossible) it doesn't happen again


Rev.

 

[unionrdr]

I hear that! I've had them sit in the kitchen by the garage door & smelled like a dead cat that whizzed on itself. So I drain'em better these days & double bag tightly. But contractor bags or some other heavy one would likely be better.

 

[MaxStout]

I used to mix it in with the soil in my garden, but the neighborhood squirrels would dig it up, no matter deep I buried it. I'd come out the next day, and the ground would look like a scene from Caddyshack.

I now know someone not far from here who raises chickens. I call her up and she will swing by and pick it up. She brings a couple buckets and I pour it from the BIAB bag.