Here at Stone & Wood, we’ve always believed that brewing good beer goes hand in hand with doing good by our community and the patch of Earth we’re lucky to call home.
We’re born and brewed in the Northern Rivers, and while we take our beer seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Except when it comes to looking after the planet, that’s something we’re proud to put front and centre.
So, what happens after the brew’s done and the cold ones are poured? A lot, actually. Each batch of beer leaves behind by-products, spent grain, hops, yeast, and instead of chucking it, we’ve figured out better ways to use the good stuff that’s left over.
What Exactly Are Beer By-Products?
Glad you asked. Beer by-products are the leftovers from the brewing process, and there’s more to it than you might think. The big one is spent grain, mostly malted barley that’s been used to extract sugars for fermentation. It’s hearty, fibrous, and still packed with nutrients.
Then there’s hop trub, the leftover leafy green bits from hops that give beer its bitterness and aroma, plus yeast sediment and other organic material from fermentation. All of it’s natural, but it piles up quickly, which is why it’s important to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.
Feeding Local Livestock
Once we’ve mashed in and drained the grainy goodness, what’s left is a heap of spent grain, still packed with fibre and protein, and smelling like warm porridge on a winter’s morning. Rather than letting it go to waste, we pass it on to local farmers who use it to feed their livestock.
It’s a win-win. They get top-notch feed for their animals, and we get to keep it local and circular, just the way we like it. Plus, there’s something pretty satisfying about sipping a Stone & Wood while knowing the grain from that beer helped fatten up a happy cow on a nearby farm.
Composting What Can’t Be Fed
We also make sure that anything not suitable for animal feed, like hop trub or spent yeast, gets composted and returned to the soil. We work with local growers and garden projects to help boost soil health and feed backyard veggie patches across the region.
There’s something special about knowing that our brewing leftovers are helping cherry tomatoes grow in community gardens or leafy greens flourish in someone’s backyard, it’s all part of our journey from coldie to compost.
Proudly B Corp Certified
Being B Corp certified means we meet the highest standards for social and environmental impact, not just in our words, but in how we operate every day.
From the way we brew and package our beer to how we look after our crew, community and backyard, every decision we make gets filtered through the lens of doing better.
Recycling our beer by-products is just one piece of the puzzle. It's all part of a bigger picture, using business as a force for good and making sure our beer leaves a positive mark, not just a footprint.
Brewed With Care for Our Home
Everything we do here at Stone & Wood ties back to the place we call home. From the people we brew with to the way we treat our waste, we’re committed to leaving the Northern Rivers better than we found it.
Recycling our by-products is just one part of the puzzle, but it’s a piece we take seriously. Whether it’s fuelling farms, feeding gardens, or one day powering the next batch of beer, we’re proud to keep it all in the family, and on our home turf.
So next time you crack open a cold one, you can feel good knowing it’s a beer that’s brewed with purpose.
Brewery Tours and Behind the Tanks
Ever wondered what goes into brewing your favourite Stone & Wood beverage? Come see it for yourself at one of our breweries in Byron Bay, Brisbane, or Murwillumbah (only open once a year for our Open Day!). Each spot has its own vibe, but what ties them all together is our love for good beer, good people, and doing things the right way.
On our Byron Bay brewery tour, you’ll get a proper look behind the tanks, where we mill the grain, fire up the brew kettles, and talk all things sustainability. You’ll learn how we reuse by-products like spent grain and hop trub, and how we put our brewing waste to work in ways that do good for our local patch.
It’s a chance to get up close with our crew, ask the curly questions, and of course, finish with a tasting paddle of fresh beer poured straight from the source. Book a brewery tour and get a taste of how we brew with purpose across the Northern Rivers and beyond.
Today is World Environmental Day, more than a day to do ‘good’, we think of today as a moment to pause and reflect on our work over the past year. As a company founded on the idea of using beer as a force for good, we’re always always looking at ways to reduce our impact, and be of better service to the environment that supports us.
