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Indeed, most people are more concerned with enjoying their frosty beverage than they are with the efficiency of the process that makes it available to them.
Given that beer sludge contains several useful chemicals, however, researchers are now beginning to look at whether it can be put to better use.
The brewing process for beer produces a waste product known as spent grain. Also referred to colloquially as beer sludge, spent grain is often repurposed as cattle feed or used to make biogas. In some cases, however, spent grain must go to the landfill, where it proceeds to harm the planet by releasing methane as it decomposes. Scientists are therefore looking at ways that beer sludge can be upcycled into something more useful, for example food and drink.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
Unless you make your own beer, you may not have given much thought to the waste products generated during the brewing process.
It may surprise you to learn, then, that one of the key by-products of brewing beer is a load of wet, sticky shavings referred to as spent grain, or beer sludge.
Globally, brewers produce around 37 million tons of spent grain per year, and roughly 20% of that amount ends up in landfill.
Historically, around 70% of beer sludge has been repurposed as cattle feed.
An additional 10% is used for making biogas. In the race to find a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, this is also a positive use for the product.
Some 20% of brewers’ spent grain, however, ends up in landfill, and there are two main reasons that researchers and companies are looking to change this.
Beer sludge ending up in landfill is bad for the environment, because it releases methane into the atmosphere as it decomposes.
Brewers also have to pay to send their spent grain to the disposal facility–a cost on the balance sheet they would rather avoid.
In 2024, the Swiss start-up Upgrain launched a processing system that is able to turn brewers’ spent grain into protein and fiber.
So, what exactly are researchers looking at in terms of alternative uses for spent grain? The first promising option is food and drink.
The protein and fiber that the system produces has been approved for human consumption by both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Upgrain has already started selling protein and fiber extract from spent grain to food manufacturers that make products such as pizzas, granola, and chips.
It is also being used in plant-based meat alternatives, such as those launched last year by the Swiss supermarket chain Migros.
According to Molson Coors, its vegan milk product, Golden Wing, has a "rich and creamy" taste and has 25% less sugar than most oat milks.
Certain large brewers, such as Chicago-based Molson Coors, have even started to make vegan barley milk using the protein from their spent grain.
In addition to reducing waste, using beer sludge to make plant-based protein at scale would help free up land.
It could free up the small areas of arable farmland that are used to grow wheat, soy, and pea for edible vegetarian protein.
And if beer sludge were used to replace meat, it would free up far larger areas of land that are used for cattle farming all over the world.
Using spent grain in food products is not without its challenges, however. Firstly, it can be difficult to convince people to buy the products.
Indeed, it is easy to understand why people might feel uncomfortable about buying and consuming food that is described as upcycled.
As it currently stands, this is not always practical. In order to resolve this, scientists are looking at ways to facilitate preservation.
Another challenge is related to the fact that spent grain contains a lot of moisture and therefore spoils quickly.
In order to avoid mold and microbial infection, manufacturers therefore must use the beer sludge close to where it is produced.
However, the solution to this could be as simple as reframing spent grain as an ingredient, rather than a waste product.
Indeed, its first test material was made in a home lab, using only standard kitchen equipment and brewers’ spent grain.
Sources: (BBC) (ScienceDirect)
According to Arda’s founder, Brett Cotten, the company’s offering is more sustainable than other leather alternatives.
In terms of non-edible uses for spent grain, one option that is receiving a lot of attention is leather production.
How beer by-products are turned into vegan milk
The companies upcycling their beer sludge!
FOOD Drinks
The brewing process for beer produces a waste product known as spent grain. Also referred to colloquially as beer sludge, spent grain is often repurposed as cattle feed or used to make biogas. In some cases, however, spent grain must go to the landfill, where it proceeds to harm the planet by releasing methane as it decomposes. Scientists are therefore looking at ways that beer sludge can be upcycled into something more useful, for example food and drink.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.