Lovers of good beer are more than spoiled in Quebec. After all, not all Canadian provinces can boast of having practically increased tenfold the number of brewing companies in just under 20 years ( source: AMBQ ).
But this unprecedented craze has brought with it a certain environmental scourge.
The production rate of spent grain, the malt residue from the brewing process, inevitably exploded along with the popularity of beer. Indeed, to produce a pint of beer, a pint of dehydrated spent grain is in turn produced.
Usually, this production waste would end up in the compost . But some entrepreneurs have recognized a great opportunity to repurpose brewery grains in several innovative ways.
What are they exactly? Here are three of them!
Create enriched flour with brewery grains
Did you know that brewer's grains are a food very rich in fiber, protein and minerals?
The founders of the Coop Boomerang knew it very well!
Knowing this, Tangui Conrad, Mathieu Gauthier and Alexis Galand had the idea of starting this cooperative, which transforms the spent grains into malted flour.
The principle is simple. Coop Boomerang offers a collection service for brewery spent grains as soon as they leave the tanks, which is greatly appreciated by brewers in the metropolitan area who have limited space to store these residues.
Using specialized equipment, the cooperative is then able to transform the spent grains into enriched flour, which is then sold to individuals as well as to bakeries that would like to use it to make more nutritious breads and pastries.
A great way to repurpose this waste while helping Montreal breweries limit their environmental footprint!
Fancy an eco-friendly aperitif?
It was in 2019 that Chloé Roy-Michel, founder of the company Season 2, learned what spent grains were, and realized that the management of this material in Montreal was not the most eco-responsible.
So she decided to learn more about this mysterious food and discovered its interesting nutritional potential. This is how she launched Season 2, a company that transforms these brewing residues into small crackers with original and delicious flavors.
Enough to raise your guests' eyebrows at your next gourmet aperitif this summer!
Farm animals feast on brewery grains
Many farmers already know this, but brewer's spent grain is also a popular livestock feed. Not only do the animals love it, but farmers are delighted and proud to be able to feed their animals with a feed so rich in vitamins and proteins, which is also part of a circular economy.
And now that there are more and more breweries and microbreweries in the region, producers certainly have more options where to recover this brewing residue.
So what are you waiting for to discover this little-known food with a thousand and one virtues: spent grain?
