Discussion:
Question for Y'All: Grain Bags
(too old to reply)
D Ash
2016-11-19 23:01:36 UTC
Permalink
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!

Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.

D Ash, Foggy Daze Homebrewery
Tom Biasi
2016-11-19 23:12:59 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!
Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.
D Ash, Foggy Daze Homebrewery
I throw them away.
Joerg
2016-11-20 00:53:26 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!
All three fermenters are in the non-bubble stage now but I've got to
wait two more weeks until I can rack off two of them. Then I can brew
another Koelsch and another beer. I let SWMBO decide which one. Monday
I'll get nine more recipe kit packs and a stainless cooling coil.
Post by D Ash
Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.
I haven't yet graduated to BIAB so no paint strainer bag. I re-use
muslin bags for steeping although I've got enough. Just a habit of
frugality. I dump the spent grains into the bag they came from, rinse
the bag, turn it inside out. When it's dried a bit I pick grain chunks
out of it during the boil. There ain't much else to do during boil
anyhow, got to watch the pot or ... phssss ... bug mess. Later I let it
dry on clothes line and it's ready for another beer.

Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has chickens
and open access to the property so the grains don't become old and moldy.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Tom Biasi
2016-11-20 01:45:24 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!
All three fermenters are in the non-bubble stage now but I've got to
wait two more weeks until I can rack off two of them. Then I can brew
another Koelsch and another beer. I let SWMBO decide which one. Monday
I'll get nine more recipe kit packs and a stainless cooling coil.
Post by D Ash
Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.
I haven't yet graduated to BIAB so no paint strainer bag. I re-use
muslin bags for steeping although I've got enough. Just a habit of
frugality. I dump the spent grains into the bag they came from, rinse
the bag, turn it inside out. When it's dried a bit I pick grain chunks
out of it during the boil. There ain't much else to do during boil
anyhow, got to watch the pot or ... phssss ... bug mess. Later I let it
dry on clothes line and it's ready for another beer.
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has chickens
and open access to the property so the grains don't become old and moldy.
I only use the $1.00 ones for hops and specialty grains. I don't use a
bag for the main grain. I like to see it move around.
Joerg
2016-11-20 17:53:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!
All three fermenters are in the non-bubble stage now but I've got to
wait two more weeks until I can rack off two of them. Then I can brew
another Koelsch and another beer. I let SWMBO decide which one. Monday
I'll get nine more recipe kit packs and a stainless cooling coil.
Post by D Ash
Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.
I haven't yet graduated to BIAB so no paint strainer bag. I re-use
muslin bags for steeping although I've got enough. Just a habit of
frugality. I dump the spent grains into the bag they came from, rinse
the bag, turn it inside out. When it's dried a bit I pick grain chunks
out of it during the boil. There ain't much else to do during boil
anyhow, got to watch the pot or ... phssss ... bug mess. Later I let it
dry on clothes line and it's ready for another beer.
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has chickens
and open access to the property so the grains don't become old and moldy.
I only use the $1.00 ones for hops and specialty grains. I don't use a
bag for the main grain. I like to see it move around.
With BIAB you do but I haven't gotten to that point yet. I do have a
huge (13-gallon) pot with a false bottom now though, so all it should
take is buying a large paint strainer cloth and grains. And more time.
The paint strainer cloth would lay against the outer walls so the grain
could float around in there.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Tom Biasi
2016-11-20 18:46:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has chickens
and open access to the property so the grains don't become old and moldy.
Be careful where you dump that stuff, mice seem to like it. I found out
the hard way.
Joerg
2016-11-21 15:17:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has chickens
and open access to the property so the grains don't become old and moldy.
Be careful where you dump that stuff, mice seem to like it. I found out
the hard way.
I bet they do, it's full of proteins. I was thinking about riding over
to a ranch and placing it right next to their chicken coop, or maybe
even in there, after getting the owner's ok. Most are 3-5 miles away so
it would be an extra bicycling exercise.

The owner of a brewery told me that his spent grains go to a woman who
carefully spreads them out on baking pans and dries them, then bakes
them into bread. He said it give the bread a nice crunchy taste.
However, that sound like a lot of effort and electricity. We already
salvage all the trub and make bread out of it but my wife says that's
enough work.

It's just sad to throw the spent grains away.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
D Ash
2016-11-21 23:17:40 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has
chickens and open access to the property so the grains don't become
old and moldy.
Be careful where you dump that stuff, mice seem to like it. I found
out the hard way.
I bet they do, it's full of proteins. I was thinking about riding over
to a ranch and placing it right next to their chicken coop, or maybe
even in there, after getting the owner's ok. Most are 3-5 miles away
so it would be an extra bicycling exercise.
The owner of a brewery told me that his spent grains go to a woman who
carefully spreads them out on baking pans and dries them, then bakes
them into bread. He said it give the bread a nice crunchy taste.
However, that sound like a lot of effort and electricity. We already
salvage all the trub and make bread out of it but my wife says that's
enough work.
It's just sad to throw the spent grains away.
How do you (or how does she) get rid of the husks? I hate it when a husk
gets stuck in my teeth, or, worse yet, in my throat!

I've just been dumping them into the compost bin with leaves and grass
clippings. Mold is just another way to break down the organics and the
composter is sealed up to keep rodents out. But I would like to know how
to make other uses of the spent grains.
Tom Biasi
2016-11-22 00:25:44 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
Post by Joerg
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Now I have to find a use for the spent grains. Someone who has
chickens and open access to the property so the grains don't become
old and moldy.
Be careful where you dump that stuff, mice seem to like it. I found
out the hard way.
I bet they do, it's full of proteins. I was thinking about riding over
to a ranch and placing it right next to their chicken coop, or maybe
even in there, after getting the owner's ok. Most are 3-5 miles away
so it would be an extra bicycling exercise.
The owner of a brewery told me that his spent grains go to a woman who
carefully spreads them out on baking pans and dries them, then bakes
them into bread. He said it give the bread a nice crunchy taste.
However, that sound like a lot of effort and electricity. We already
salvage all the trub and make bread out of it but my wife says that's
enough work.
It's just sad to throw the spent grains away.
How do you (or how does she) get rid of the husks? I hate it when a husk
gets stuck in my teeth, or, worse yet, in my throat!
I've just been dumping them into the compost bin with leaves and grass
clippings. Mold is just another way to break down the organics and the
composter is sealed up to keep rodents out. But I would like to know how
to make other uses of the spent grains.
I put them in the weekly trash.
D Ash
2016-11-22 19:41:04 UTC
Permalink
Tom Biasi <***@optonline.net> wrote in news:o10397$n5b$***@dont-
email.me:

snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
Joerg
2016-11-22 20:20:20 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.

I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew sessions.
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub Bread"
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie, yet
another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf and
finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.

Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy snacks
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Tom Biasi
2016-11-22 22:34:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew sessions.
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub Bread"
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie, yet
another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf and
finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy snacks
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I feel the same way about wasting food, I was raised not to, but I have
no use for spent grains that would yield a product that also would also
go to waste in a few days.
We can't eat or give away that much bread.
Joerg
2016-11-23 00:54:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew sessions.
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub Bread"
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie, yet
another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf and
finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy snacks
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I feel the same way about wasting food, I was raised not to, but I have
no use for spent grains that would yield a product that also would also
go to waste in a few days.
We can't eat or give away that much bread.
That's what my wife is saying. So much bread and we don't even buy any
in stores anymore. One IPA made three big loaves and Thursday morning
I'll be racking off another IPA. So now we eat this bread also with
ribs. And the guys at Eldorado Brewing said I should bring some if I
ride up there agin on my mountain bike.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
D Ash
2016-11-22 22:48:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew
sessions.
Post by Joerg
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub Bread"
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie, yet
another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf and
finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy snacks
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I apologise for saying this, but that sounds like it would require way
more energy than I have. I'm recovering from having been an invalid for
some time (a few years), and am lucky to be able brew at all. Just can't
spend that amount of energy on even delicuous, nutritious bread. Would
love to! But not in the cards.
Joerg
2016-11-23 00:58:18 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew
sessions.
Post by Joerg
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub
Bread"
Post by Joerg
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie, yet
another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf and
finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy
snacks
Post by Joerg
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I apologise for saying this, but that sounds like it would require way
more energy than I have. I'm recovering from having been an invalid for
some time (a few years), and am lucky to be able brew at all. Just can't
spend that amount of energy on even delicuous, nutritious bread. Would
love to! But not in the cards.
It's less effort than brewing. Essentially you make a starter and some
time later the bread dough using the grayish starter.

http://hubpages.com/food/SALLIEANNES-TRUB-BREAD-A-Wonderful-Yeasty-Bread-Made-Using-Beer-Trub

Ours comes out darker. Probably because I bake it over wood fire. I like
a nice crunchy crust. When it comes off the barbecue I could eat half a
loaf without anything else. Of course, that is not good for the waist
line so I don't.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
D Ash
2016-11-23 01:04:59 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew
sessions.
Post by Joerg
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub
Bread"
Post by Joerg
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie,
yet another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf
and finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy
snacks
Post by Joerg
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I apologise for saying this, but that sounds like it would require
way more energy than I have. I'm recovering from having been an
invalid for some time (a few years), and am lucky to be able brew at
all. Just can't spend that amount of energy on even delicuous,
nutritious bread. Would love to! But not in the cards.
It's less effort than brewing. Essentially you make a starter and some
time later the bread dough using the grayish starter.
http://hubpages.com/food/SALLIEANNES-TRUB-BREAD-A-Wonderful-Yeasty-
Brea
Post by Joerg
d-Made-Using-Beer-Trub
Ours comes out darker. Probably because I bake it over wood fire. I
like a nice crunchy crust. When it comes off the barbecue I could eat
half a loaf without anything else. Of course, that is not good for the
waist line so I don't.
Huge grin! You make it sound so effortless! No. Much as I'd like to take
up another hobby, I am also a woodturner, so I have to be able to do
that, too. I'll leave bread-making to someone else, although I would
love to eat some. As for the grill . . . . . Oh, yeah! Hardwood
charcoal, green apple wood and a whole chicken-- you are mine!
Joerg
2016-11-23 01:11:45 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
snip
Post by Tom Biasi
I put them in the weekly trash.
That makes sense.
However, that is sad because they are food items that still contain
nutricious value (in this case protein). It is like throwing away a
partially eaten fruit.
I used to do the same with the trub during my first five brew
sessions.
Post by Joerg
Now it gets baked into a bread. For lunch I just had "Stout Trub
Bread"
Post by Joerg
with Swiss cheese plus anchovies, another slice with French brie,
yet another with Italian salami sausage, then one with olive loaf
and finally one with liver sausage. Delicious.
Turns out the trub from the various brewing sessions (#12 happens on
Friday, a Koelsch) makes so much bread that we will no longer buy
snacks
Post by Joerg
and make homemade energy bars for my bike rides. I'll just take some
trub bread and cheese along.
I apologise for saying this, but that sounds like it would require
way more energy than I have. I'm recovering from having been an
invalid for some time (a few years), and am lucky to be able brew at
all. Just can't spend that amount of energy on even delicuous,
nutritious bread. Would love to! But not in the cards.
It's less effort than brewing. Essentially you make a starter and some
time later the bread dough using the grayish starter.
http://hubpages.com/food/SALLIEANNES-TRUB-BREAD-A-Wonderful-Yeasty-
Brea
Post by Joerg
d-Made-Using-Beer-Trub
Ours comes out darker. Probably because I bake it over wood fire. I
like a nice crunchy crust. When it comes off the barbecue I could eat
half a loaf without anything else. Of course, that is not good for the
waist line so I don't.
Huge grin! You make it sound so effortless! No. Much as I'd like to take
up another hobby, I am also a woodturner, so I have to be able to do
that, too. I'll leave bread-making to someone else, although I would
love to eat some. As for the grill . . . . . Oh, yeah! Hardwood
charcoal, green apple wood and a whole chicken-- you are mine!
Thursday I am going to cook the turkey in there. I like Manzanita but
have to be judicious when to use it because my stash is dwindling.
Splitting some digger pine right now and I wonder how that would fare
for cooking. Some day when I am retired I want to start brewing over
wood fire.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
D Ash
2016-11-23 15:25:31 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by D Ash
love to eat some. As for the grill . . . . . Oh, yeah! Hardwood
charcoal, green apple wood and a whole chicken-- you are mine!
Thursday I am going to cook the turkey in there. I like Manzanita but
have to be judicious when to use it because my stash is dwindling.
Splitting some digger pine right now and I wonder how that would fare
for cooking. Some day when I am retired I want to start brewing over
wood fire.
My preferences in green wood for grillin' smoke: maple, apple, any stone-
fruit wood, almost any nut wood (NOT black walnut!). I would recommend
against the pine, though. Put that under the bread oven and let the smoke
go free right up the chimney. The pitch in coniferous wood would be too
strong a flavor, at least for my tastebuds. It's an okay flavor in
campfire-cooked scrambled eggs and bacon, yeah. That's as far as I'd go.
baloonon
2016-11-23 01:52:45 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
As for the grill . . . . . Oh, yeah! Hardwood
charcoal, green apple wood and a whole chicken-- you are mine!
I know some people use sawdust in smokers. It would be interesting to see
some day if dried used malt would work well. Off the top of my head it
would seem to be fine.
D Ash
2016-11-23 15:18:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by D Ash
As for the grill . . . . . Oh, yeah! Hardwood
charcoal, green apple wood and a whole chicken-- you are mine!
I know some people use sawdust in smokers. It would be interesting to
see some day if dried used malt would work well. Off the top of my
head it would seem to be fine.
That is a very interesting idea! I'd suggest trying just the grain smoke,
no meat at first, just to see how it smells. You may find it a bit too much
for a food flavor. I love the way it smells up the whole house when I toast
a pound of Vienna malt in the oven. Not sure the smoke would be as
aromatic, though. Try it and let us know how it turns out.
baloonon
2016-11-22 01:21:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
I've just been dumping them into the compost bin with leaves and grass
clippings. Mold is just another way to break down the organics and the
composter is sealed up to keep rodents out. But I would like to know how
to make other uses of the spent grains.
I just compost them too along with the hops I strain out when I transfer to
the fermenter. It all breaks down really quickly and makes good compost.

I know that a local small brewery donates all of their spent organic
material to a nearby organic farm and they love taking it off the brewery's
hands.
Joerg
2016-11-22 15:24:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by D Ash
I've just been dumping them into the compost bin with leaves and grass
clippings. Mold is just another way to break down the organics and the
composter is sealed up to keep rodents out. But I would like to know how
to make other uses of the spent grains.
I just compost them too along with the hops I strain out when I transfer to
the fermenter. It all breaks down really quickly and makes good compost.
I know that a local small brewery donates all of their spent organic
material to a nearby organic farm and they love taking it off the brewery's
hands.
Yesterday I needed a faucet adapter for the new wort chiller and some
caps. So I bicycled down into the valley and on the way back up had a
"Reckless Use of Hop" here:

http://mrazbrewingcompany.com/

They had several large plastic drums full of spent grains outside ready
for pickup. They give it to a farmer and it gets picked up with a 3/4
pickup truck.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Derek J Decker
2016-11-20 16:30:39 UTC
Permalink
Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewers! Hope your brewpots are keeping warm and happy and
your airlocks are bubblin'!
Just finished a brewday and got to wondering: for those of you who use
grainbags for steeping/mini(sorta)mash, do you launder your bags or just
rinse and repeat? Thanks for any and all responses.
D Ash, Foggy Daze Homebrewery
As I have mentioned before, I do BIAB every Sunday afternoon. For years I
would just rinse the bag thoroughly (paint strainer bag from Home Depot),
take it outside to shake it dry and remove the last few grain particles,
and then hang it up to dry the rest of the way, which worked fine.

I also do the weekly laundry on Sunday afternoon, and a couple months ago
it occurred to me that if I changed the order of the loads (by color), I
would be ready to start the appropriate load to throw the bag in just as
I was finished with the mash (+/- 15 minutes or so). So now I rinse it
quickly and then throw it in the laundry. This works fine, is easier, and
I think it gets the bag cleaner.

So, it's your call - either way is not going to get you in trouble. I've
just started on a new bag after using the old one for a few years like this
- a seam was starting to let go.

-Derek and his Scale Model Brewing Operation
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