In an interesting article here, the Times talks about how food and drinks companies are "caring and sharing" in the recession. It singles Harveys out as largely only selling its products within 60 miles of the brewery and its donation of its spent grain for cattle feed and fertiliser. “We have a symbiotic relationship with the local community,” explains the head brewer, Miles Jenner. “They are our bread and butter and we support them — it’s as simple as that.” Giving away waste saves money on disposal and lessens landfill. It makes sense all round.
This is I think though, common practice. So to give a local angle to this, one of the farms at Tandle Hill collects spent grain for cattle feed from Lees. The trailer is parked outside daily and I've often seen it being filled when I pass by. This is a good thing and though I don't know if its all done for free, I suspect it is. I've no idea what would happen to it otherwise. Landfill as Miles Jenner says I suppose.
Maybe I'll ask the farmer next time I see him in the pub?
The photo is nicked from the web and shows Anderson Valley Brewing it seems. I'll replace it with a genuine Lees one asap. For those interested further, enter "spent grains" into a search engine and fill your boots. There's loads of (interesting) stuff about it.
13 comments:
There's money in spent grains: they can be sold for cattle feed.
I have never heard of a brewery doing anything other than feeding cattle with spent grains, yet they all write as though it's something special.
I demand to know what other breweries do with it.
Does no-one read the post before answering? (-:
Awww. Do we have to?
That's an interesting concept; Reading the post before commenting, I'll try that one day.
I give spent grain away, it's easier than selling as there are some regulations, apparently, all to do with pigs getting foot and mouth.
Anyway, there is indeed money in it for breweries of any size - or of course invaluable community bridge building.
I don't think ANY brewer would put it into land fill. Shame on them if they do.
I often use spent grain to make bread (you can see a version of the recipe here). However, this only makes a small dent in the spent grain from the average 5-gallon homebrew, so I doubt it's going to revolutionise the brewing industry overnight.
Spent grain from a cooking lager grist could have an adverse effect on cattle. I thought that was the case eating your breakfast sausage, but was told the majority of English breakfast sausage has the consistency of sawdust because it's made with actual sawdust.
Wurst, have you tried Cumberland breakfast sausage? Made with pure pig.
Actually, sorry no, I have no information as to the purity of the pig itself - but it certainly has no sawdust added.
It's funny you mention that. I was in York once eating breakfast at a B&B and commented on the sausages. I told the owner they were the best breakfast sausages I've ever eaten in England. He said they were the Cumberland variety. Yes, they were delicious. Every English breakfast sausage should be of the Cumberland variety.
Our spent pomace from cidermaking goes to rare breed porkers up the road. When expressed to preference, they seem to prefer it to spent grain, which is nowhere near as alcoholic...
It would be interesting to see just how much of their beer is delivered "locally". You see it quite far from home and I had it in Cumbria last week.
I wondered that. I suppose you do what you can, but business is business.
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