Leftover grain

[Anna]

Has anybody got any ideas of what to do with the leftover grain after steeping? Seems too good to throw out. Compost for the garden maybe? (But maybe it would grow!). Or I wonder if I could add it to the dog's dinner (or would she explode?). Anna

[wrighty]

Feed mine to the chooks .
Have also read that poeple use it in their bread recipies.

[drsmurto]

Do a search on the interwebthingy for 'spent grain dog biscuits'

Or if you have chooks, do as wrighty suggests. Mine love brewdays! They come running when i carry the mash tun down to them with 4+kg of grain. I'm convinced its the reason they don't go off the lay over winter. Massive amounts of extra grain!

It will compost so if you have a compost pile and/or bin then bung it in.

[billybushcook]

+ 1 on the chooks, ours go nuts for it too!!

It won't grow Anna, for one, germination has been started, then stopped, then dried during the malting process before you buy it. The other is that it has been cracked.
Aside from the fact that you have removed most of it's goodies by steeping.

As Wrighty & doc said, you can use it in Baking Too. (although I have never tried it!!)
Mick,

[warra48]

I don't have chooks, so I do one of two things:

1. Into the compost bin.

2. Onto a vege garden bed I'm preparing for sowing, and fork it over immediately to stop the dog feasting herself on it. Did that just this afternoon.

[Bizier]

If you are composting it, try to treat it as wet matter and mix it with some dry stuff. I worry a little about it stealing nitrogen if you are adding it directly to your plants.

I plan on getting a worm farm, but at the moment I send it over the fence in a bag for my neighbour to use for compost.

[Anna]

Terrific ideas guys - thanks! Until we move to our "farm" on the north coast (couple of years away yet but I'm just dying to get into keeping chooks, etc.), I think I'll try Doc's idea of the dog biscuits, seeing as we've got two very spoilt dogs.
(I almost didn't ask this question, as I thought it might be a bit pedantic, and I was really surprised to see so many good suggestions - thanks again!).

BTW - I love the way you guys refer to "chooks" instead of the Yankee-ised "chickens", which is becoming almost a norm lately. Anna

[Anna]

OK - I've done some Googling and here's a recipe for Spent Grain Dog Biscuits, in case anyone else is interested :

Any easy recipe for dog biscuits to use up some spent grain
4 cups spent grain
4 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Editor's Note : hops are toxic to some species of dogs. Please do not use grain that has been mash-hopped!

Mix together (works well with hands) and roll onto cookie sheet. Score (almost through) into shapes you want, or use a cookie cutter as you would for cookies. They don't spread out and they pretty much end up the thickness you start with. This recipe made one cookie sheet but they are pretty thick so you could adjust that if you want them thinner.

They end up very crisp after they've been baked and dried. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Let cool enough to break them up then place back in the oven to dry for 8-10 hours at 225. You want to make sure they dry adequately, if they look like a fig newton when you break one they're not dry. If they don't dry enough they will mold. Dried thoroughly they will store well in an airtight container.

You can also substitute pizza sauce for the peanut butter, or a bit of garlic oil. Just don't make it too wet.

[randomiser]

I put old grain that hadn't been used on the garden for fertilizer. A week later I notice snails everywhere eating my mint. Today I read snails are attracted to beer. Nice one lol.

[Gym_]

Chooks go crazy over the spent grain, i dont have any my self there for i give it to other ppl that have.
May i susgest puting a small ad at whoolies or what ever notice board is local and swop freash eggs for spent grain.

Yer i know im not just anuther pretty face

[JetFoley]

Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Holy Freaking Dooley. charcoal recipe, hahah. that'd be Fahrenheit I'd assume.

[Anna]

Oops - showing my age!

Happy New Year everyone! (Just back on line after 3 weeks in Paradise - that is, Nambucca Heads). Anna

[warra48]

Oops - showing my age!

Happy New Year everyone! (Just back on line after 3 weeks in Paradise - that is, Nambucca Heads). Anna

Happy New year !

Judging by your avatar, you're just a pup, surely!

Hope you enjoyed your stay at Nambucca Heads.

Did you find any good restaurants during your stay? Mrs warra and I went there recently for the day, and couldn't find anything too up market. Would like to go back, and have a bit of a slap up lunch if there is anywhere (it's only about 1½ hours drive from Port Macquarie).

[Anna]

Sorry Warra, only just picked up your post today! I don't have the Internet at home and I had Monday off work (yes, I know - only been back a week and had to take another leave day!). We don't actually ever go for "slap-up" meals in fancy restaurants - just don't reckon you ever get value-for-money, so the best I can recommend is the restaurant in the Star Hotel, right on the river bank at Macksville (don't laugh - they have Coopers PA on tap and their beer-battered whiting fillets are the best anywhere!). Oh, and if you feel like pizza, there's a top lil' hippy-type pizza restaurant right next door to the Star, and they'll bring your pizza into the beer garden so you don't have to leave your CPA behind!

In Nambucca itself, the best meal we had was the V-Wall Tavern - great view from the verandah!

PS: Avatar's can be very complimentary! Anna

PPS: Since coming back home I'm having trouble drinking my Coopers home brew - just doesn't taste right. Leaves a sickly sugary taste in my mouth like I've just eaten a heap of fairy floss! (Yes Doc - I did use all malt...) Maybe I've been spoilt by all the CPA on tap I've been drinking.... Other half can't taste the difference tho (but I've explained his lack of taste buds before I think...)

[warra48]

Since coming back home I'm having trouble drinking my Coopers home brew - just doesn't taste right. Leaves a sickly sugary taste in my mouth like I've just eaten a heap of fairy floss! (Yes Doc - I did use all malt...) Maybe I've been spoilt by all the CPA on tap I've been drinking.... Other half can't taste the difference tho (but I've explained his lack of taste buds before I think...)

What's happening here is that using all malt is giving you a very malty brew, which just doesn't dry out like brews with dex, sugar, etc in them.
There's nothing wrong with that, but you need to change your hopping schedule to balance your beers.
Add another 5 to 10 IBU to your brew, and you will lose the sickly sweet character, as it will be balanced by the extra hop bitterness.
For good measure, chuck some additional hops in at 15 minutes or less also to give you some more hop flavour!

Most Aus commercial brews do use a proportion of simple sugar in their brews (including Coopers as far as I know). Sugar ferments right out, and leaves little in the way of flavour or body (mouthfeel). Malt is not totally fermentable, so it will give you extra body and, of course, some residual sweetness.

Thanks for the hint on the Star Hotel at Macksville. We've been to the V-Wall Tavern. I get the feeling Nambucca is not exactly high up in the gourmet stakes.
For what it's worth, mrs warra and I often say we eat as well at home as we do eating out, and a lot cheaper!
It's hard to beat some medium rare beef fillet, and home garden grown veges or salad!
And no restaurant can compete with a standing rib beef roast (or a leg of lamb) slow cooked over 5 to 6 hours at 130ºC on the Weber. Had my brother in law in raptures when I did it during their last visit.

[billybushcook]

And no restaurant can compete with a standing rib beef roast (or a leg of lamb) slow cooked over 5 to 6 hours at 130ºC on the Weber.

Ahh, but a Camp Oven Can!!!

Mick.

[Anna]

Thanks for the advice Warra. I saw a recipe today (on another forum) for Coopers PA:

Can of goo
250gm wheat malt
250gm dextrose
500 gm LDM
12 gm POR at 15 minutes

Maybe this would solve the problem? What do you think?

I totally agree with you about home cooking! That's precisely why hubbie and I don't go to fancy restaurants (and save our money for better things - like beer!! )

... still, you can't beat a fish n chips lunch on the verandah at the Star!

Have a good weekend (I'm gonna start a cider tomorrow....) Anna