Brewers have been sharing the spent grain left over from the beer-making process with farmers since the Middle Ages. The monk-brewers of Europe fed the grain — high in protein, fiber and essential amino acids — to their own livestock. These days brewers worldwide offer their spent grain, free, to farmers willing to haul it away, saving money and resources by keeping it out of local landfills.
Several years ago, Wisconsin Brewing Company added a new twist to the practice when it launched Porter’s Biscuits, natural dog treats produced from the mash used to make the brewery’s Chocolate Lab Porter.
According to consultant Wayne Glowac, who manages the Verona brewery’s special projects, the product is the perfect combination of the brewery’s dog-friendly ethos and its commitment to sustainability.
“This is how we serve our brewery guests of both the two-legged and four-legged variety,” says Glowac. “Our taproom has ample beer for the first type, and plenty of clear water and free Porter’s Biscuits for the second.”
The biscuit idea was hatched in 2017, and Wisconsin Brewing originally partnered with Mounds Pet Food Warehouse to develop and distribute the product. The biscuits are produced by K9 Kitchen, a Hortonville company run by Cheri and Jeff Riedl, who also run K9 Corps Agility, a dog agility training course.
In addition to the brewery’s spent grain, the biscuits are made of spelt and white rye flour, rolled oats, coconut and peanut flour, and other ingredients. There is no alcohol or chocolate in the mash, both of which would be bad for dogs, Glowac says.
During its first year, Porter’s Biscuits were available only through Mounds’ area stores, with proceeds going to support various Dane County dog parks, including one located near the brewery. Since then, distribution has expanded to some 20 retail outlets, including Hy-Vee, Metcalfe’s Market, UW Provision, the Willy Street Co-op and others. The average retail price is $8.50 for an 8-ounce recyclable plastic beer cup filled with biscuits. The label includes a coupon for a free pint at the brewery.
These days proceeds support the brewery’s own dog-friendly efforts, which last year included treating the nine-acre American Way Pond next to the brewery for phosphorus pollution and the resulting blue-green algae blooms that can be deadly for dogs. A $50,000 Urban Water Quality Grant from Dane County to the city of Verona enabled the pond to be treated with aluminum chlorohydrate, which inactivates the phosphorus by converting it to a stable insoluble element, improving water quality.
“It’s hard to keep dogs from jumping into a pond on a hot day,” Glowac says. “Dogs and blue-green algae are not a good combination.”
The increased safety is good news not only for dogs visiting the brewery with their owners, but also Wisconsin Brewery’s own dog, who is constantly on the premises. His name is Porter and he is, of course, a chocolate lab.
