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Brookhaven Town initiative uses brewery waste products to feed farm animals

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BrickHouse Brewery and Double D Bar Ranch are the firsts in Brookhaven to benefit from the town’s new waste management program called “Brew to Moo.”

At no additional cost, the town will now transport craft breweries’ wasted spent grains — the leftover byproduct of brewing — to feed animals at farms within the town.

Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine introduced the effort of reducing garbage and reusing products in a Tuesday morning press conference outside the Patchogue brew-pub.

“[Spent grain] doesn’t have the same caloric value, but it certainly has the same protein value,” Romaine said. “And that stuff gets thrown away; it’s added to our waste.”

The protein and fiber-filled grains will now be used as a supplement for corn during feeding time at Double D Bar Ranch, a not-for-profit farm on Wading River Road in Manorville.

The Double D Bar Ranch was set up to provide homes for prior abused or unwanted farm animals.

“[I’m excited] this is going to save a lot of money in feed,” said Double D Bar Ranch’s owner, Richard DeVoe.

As of now, the town will pick up the material twice a week to deliver to farms until more businesses join the program, says Matt Miner, the commissioner of the town’s Department of Recycling and Sustainable Materials Management.

“The creativity of the town to put this together is truly amazing,” said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri.

“Being a beer drinker, my leftovers usually end up in different places,” he joked.

BrickHouse Brewery is hopeful that its partnership with Double D Ranch can lead to more collaborations between the two entities.

“Hopefully it will result in cheeses for our burgers down the line,” said BrickHouse brewmaster Paul Komsic.

Romaine is calling on more breweries, distilleries, and farms in town to join the effort.

“Any other farmers or brewers who would like to participate in the program we’re open to do that because we want to see materials that would normally go into our waste stream recycled and reused,” he said.

Top: Goats from Double D Ranch outside of the BrickHouse Tuesday in Patchogue.

Credit: Nick Esposito

Supervisor Ed Romaine explaining the town’s new Brew to Moo program. (Nick Esposito)

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