Re: beer residue ok for compost?
Yvonne,
Actually, the residue has very little hops, but lots of grain, from which the
sugar has been consumed by the yeast. That leaves a really high protein
content. As you might expect, it breaks down very rapidly. Worms love it, by
the way. As a bonus, there's a high natural fiber content, in the form of the
grain hulls. You likely will want to dig it in or mix it with other matter,
since it tends to pack if just glumped down in a heap. As to chemicals, yeasts,
at least the ones used to brew, are fairly sensitive organisms; they won't
tolerate much in the way of additives. Anything a brewery might add, such as
saponifiers (to increase the foam for appearance) likely would be added
afterward, anyway, since a hell of a lot of liquid leaves with the spent grain:
a cost measure. In my experience, it's heavy to haul, but abundant, cheap and a
good soil amendment. Likely the brewery, also, will have a ready-made analysis
of the stuff, since it often gets incorporated into feeds.
Have fun,
Ron
One of our community gardeners would like to know whether the residue from
beer making (spent hops and yeast) was good for compost. It'd certainly be
another great "used up" local biproduct to recycle!
Does anyone have any knowledge/experience/suggestions?
Thanks!
Yvonne Savio
Common Ground Garden Program Manager
University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County
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