I recently contacted my local brewery to ask what they did with their spent
hops. To my delight they said that they usually just throw them out into
the bin. I asked if they would have any objections to me calling and
collecting them for use in my compost and also as a mulch/soil improver and
they were only too pleased to see them being re-used. I called last night
and there were five large bags waiting for me.

Has anyone on here had any experience of using spent hops on their garden?

The message <e6mgtr$fdt$2$8300dec7 [at] news.demon.co.uk>
from "Bobby" <Bob [at] nospamtiscali.co.uk> contains these words:

> I recently contacted my local brewery to ask what they did with their spent
> hops. To my delight they said that they usually just throw them out into
> the bin. I asked if they would have any objections to me calling and
> collecting them for use in my compost and also as a mulch/soil improver and
> they were only too pleased to see them being re-used. I called last night
> and there were five large bags waiting for me.

> Has anyone on here had any experience of using spent hops on their garden?

Yes, I've spread many tons of them as a 4" fertilising, weed
suppressing mulch on a garden where I work (from the local brewery
very nearby). When fresh they smell pretty strongly of stale beer and
when they're a bit older they smell like vomit. However, once they're on
the garden either smell soon disappears.

Janet

--
Isle of Arran Open Gardens weekend 21,22,23 July 2006
5 UKP three-day adult ticket (funds go to island charities) buys entry
to 26 private gardens

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 15:08:07 +0100, "Bobby" <Bob [at] nospamtiscali.co.uk>
wrote:

>I recently contacted my local brewery to ask what they did with their spent
>hops. To my delight they said that they usually just throw them out into
>the bin. I asked if they would have any objections to me calling and
>collecting them for use in my compost and also as a mulch/soil improver and
>they were only too pleased to see them being re-used. I called last night
>and there were five large bags waiting for me.
>
>Has anyone on here had any experience of using spent hops on their garden?
>
>
They are an excellent fertiliser. I'd ask them for the sparged grains
too. They probably get thrown away as well.

>>I recently contacted my local brewery to ask what they did with their
>>spent
>>hops. To my delight they said that they usually just throw them out into
>>the bin. I asked if they would have any objections to me calling and
>>collecting them for use in my compost and also as a mulch/soil improver
>>and
>>they were only too pleased to see them being re-used. I called last night
>>and there were five large bags waiting for me.
>>
>>Has anyone on here had any experience of using spent hops on their garden?
>>
>>
> They are an excellent fertiliser. I'd ask them for the sparged grains
> too. They probably get thrown away as well.

They said that their malt is already taken away by a local farmer and he
feeds it to his cattle. However, there were approx 30 sacks of spent malt
waiting for pick up when I called round the other day so I may ask the
brewery if they would miss any of that too. Not sure if the malt is given
FOC to the farmer though but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.