One of the first steps in the process of brewing beer involves mixing cracked malt grains, such as barley, with hot water to create wort, a liquid rich in sugars. The liquid wort is separated from the rest of the solid malt and, with the help of hops and yeast, becomes beer.
But what happens to the solid grains?
“It goes to waste most times,” said Shelby Kohn, founder of Shelby Shakes. “Sometimes if it sits out for a long time, it’s still good for animal feed. But, just like any other food, as long as you refrigerate it after they soak it, it is a wonderful human food.”
Kohn, who has a passion for sustainability and food-waste reduction, upcycles brewer’s spent grain – a byproduct of the brewing process – into granola.
Shelby Shakes currently makes four flavors of granola, she said. These include Cinnamon Swing, a cinnamon-vanilla-honey mix; a gluten free version of Cinnamon Swing; Cocoa Calypso, a dark chocolate and cocoa powder-infused mix with nuts; and Cha Cha Chai, a seven-spice chai blend.
Kohn said her granola is high in protein and fiber. The spent grain also has a low glycemic index because “that’s what they’re soaking it for – to get the sugar,” she said.
Another way Kohn upcycles would-be food waste is by using aquafaba, the water in which chickpeas have been cooked, from Laura Nunemaker’s Love Tempeh, another vendor at the Durango Farmers Market.
“She’ll save it for me in the fridge after she cooks it, and I’ll also use that as an oil replacement,” Kohn said.
Kohn originally just made normal granola for herself to take on adventures with friends, and then she got creative with it over time.
“I’m very picky and I like things a specific way, and so I tried making my own with the exact things that I want in it,” she said. “And then it evolved into using upcycled ingredients to marry my two passions.”
Kohn said she lives near Steamworks Brewing Co. and frequently noticed the barrels of spent grain the brewery would set out.
“I was always thinking, what are they doing with that?” she said. “Is it just getting thrown away? Can I use it? So I would go back there with, like, 10 plastic bags and scoop it in and take it home and just experiment for myself. Once I thought I had a good product, they formalized the process a little. I have a special bin I give them, they fill it up, keep it in the fridge for me, and I pick it up every week.”
All of the spent grain used by Shelby Shakes – which came together in November 2023 – currently comes from Steamworks.
Kohn said her business has a number of deals focused on waste reduction.
“I do all sorts of things, like if you bring your own jar, you get a dollar off,” she said.
ngonzales@durangoherald.com
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