Brewing beer produces a lot of waste. It’s a fact that we don’t spend a lot of time showcasing to public,but sadly it’s a part the process. That being said, we work hard to find ways to reduce and reuse wherever we can in an effort to create a more efficient and less wasteful production process.
One of our largest waste products per batch is spent grain. This is grain that has been mashed, had most of its sugar content extracted, and simply isn’t usable in any form in the brewing process anymore. We brew two cycles on our brewhouse each batch in order to fill one of our 4 tanks. Those 8 batches of beer each use about 1500 lbs of grain. If you do the math, this means we’re kicking out 12,000 lbs of grain every couple weeks.
Rather than just throw the grain in the dump, we’ve partnered with a wonderful family farm right here in our hometown of Nolensville, TN to provide feed for their cattle.
Meet Robert and Karen Vernon owners of Vernon Farm. Their family has owned and farmed the land for 53 years. Currently they have a herd of about 60 cows who I must say are straight up excited to be eating Mill Creek grain.
I got to spend an afternoon at the farm, which was a real pleasure. As I pulled up Robert was loading the grain into the feeding troths. The moment the cows heard the Bobcats engine fire up, they came stampeding from the pasture.
We’re always looking for ways to support our local community and it’s great to see what is considered “waste” to many, become a valuable part of the lives of these cows at Vernon Farm.
