Brewing and Mushrooms (non-magic)

[Liam Callaghan]

Anyone know if it's ok to grow mushrooms in the same workshop as your brewing in or do the spores spread and bring a whole new level of funkiness to your beers?

 

I'm going to innoculate some fresh cut oak logs in another week and was going to keep a few in the other side of the workshop where its a bit darker and cooler (and damper).  I also have a button mushroom kit thats been sitting on the shelf for 2 years that I should probably do at the same time but just not sure if they are going to affect my beer production...  Could make it better of course :p

 

Otherwise its a shady spot in the garden and plug it into the irrigation system but then I have to run it past Mrs C and she is very protective about garden space.

 

Anyone?

[Pilgrim]

Personally I wouldn't want any possible contaminants like that within range of my brewery, who knows what air borne nasties could get into the brew.

[Pilgrim]

However, check these links out:

This one seems to think it's ok

https://byo.com/fermentation/item/1952-multi-function-brew-room-mr-...

and this one that uses spent grain + sawdust to grow mushrooms

http://www.beercook.com/articles/maltmushrooms.htm

[Liam Callaghan]

That's a good find Pete!  I sourced a mushroom from spent grain recipe earlier today but nothing on contamination issues.  I have a partial wall between them but they would share the same air movement.  Guess I might just have to try it.  

I've held off so far partly from being busy and partly with concerns about cross contamination - I dont know much about mushrooms to be fair, I just like filling my face with em.  Maybe I should read up a bit more before I put them in the house.   Not like mushrooms grow naturally in the house after all.

Be really nice to be able to use the spent grain up and get a good crop of fresh mushrooms each month.  Love eating mushrooms, almost as much as bacon.  Almost.

I inoculate in 2 weeks so I should get another brew down before hand, just in case :)

[Ralph]

I look forward to hearing how you get on. I have looked at growing a few varieties of mushies as well... was going to use coffee grounds but if spent grain works then I would fully be into that! I would be interested to hear where to source good stock to grow the different mushies from.

[Liam Callaghan]

Me too Zane, but never seem to find the time.  I might try the coffee grounds as well while I'm doing it, spoken to the coffee shop downstairs and they are keen to maybe do it themselves as well which is neat.

Source of mushroom spawn is easy, Tim runs this place and is an awesome resource of information

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mushspor/index.htm

He has more varieties than he has t=on the website too so worth talking to him.

Inoculating logs seems to be the easiest way though and if they are small enough (12-24") I can use the second fermenting freezer to force them to fruit every 9 weeks

 

[Paul Finney]

So glad I saw this. I hve been wondering about growing mushrooms on some logs I have lying around in the garden. I have emailed Tim for some advice before going ahead. I'm also interested to see how they would go on the spent grain as there is only so much my garden can take!

[Evan Davies]

Ah bugger it and go for the magic kind, then at least anything funky that happened to the brew would be real FUNKY lol

 

[Liam Callaghan]

Ordered the spore today and hopefully into it on the weekend, will post up some photos

Decided to put them in the garden but make up a sample stock of smaller 12" log-lets that I can force to fruit every 9 weeks using the fermenting cabinet as a cold source.

Went for shitake and Oyster and put a provisional order in for agrocybe if they are ready while the logs are still clean.

Not sure about the psychodelic beers Evan, although it is tempting to try it :p

[Liam Callaghan]

Spore arrived in the week but didn't get into it until Monday.  The innoculated dowels last for months in the fridge so long as they don't dry out and I have enough for more logs so going to try some softer wood than oak if I can get my hands on it.

Easy enough job to do but tiring after 2 days gib stopping, sanding and painting haha.  My arms are like lead today.

Scrubbed the logs clean, removed most of the lichen and additional growth.  Drilled them with 8mm holes to 45mm deep.  Spaced at 100-150mm in a diamond pattern 50mm apart.  Dowels knocked in and pushed down with a punch.  I used Soy wax to cover the holes and the burner on the brewery to melt it.  Floated in a pan of water as I thought the direct flame might be a little hot :)

Have the photos on my phone and will post them shortly.

Good stuff!

[Peter Smith]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/10414690/Grown...

[Liam Callaghan]

A bit late but here are the photos of the first batch of logs.  Lichen scrubbed off, drilled with an 8mm drill bit (a metal one... I am such a d!ck at times haha) then a dowel tapped and covered with Soy Wax.  Bees wax or candle wax will do.

 

Fresh cut logs, 3-4 weeks old, sap is now dead and ready to innoculate

Scrubbed clean - make sure the bark is in really good condition

 

My work station

 

Dowelled log - photos off my phone sorry and I cant seem to stop my hand shaking ... withdrawals maybe...

Finished logs

followed by a long day splitting.  I used one of the big cider tanks to soak the logs in before they go up the garden you can just see it in the foreground.

 

Logs will take about 10-12 months to be fully innoculated as oak is a really hard wood to colonise but will fruit for 5-7 years as the mushroom eats it all up and converts it to lovely shrooms!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Liam Callaghan]

We had our first flush of fresh shitake and oyster mushrooms a couple of weeks ago, much earlier than anticipated (expected in November) so we didn't get to eat them before the local residents of the shroomery.  Good to see though all the same and very much looking forward to November and some fresh mushies!

We had a cracking days brewing yesterday and I've now got three bin bags full of spent grain along with 3 bin bags full of oak shavings.  So it's time to build a compost and then load that with a mushroom spore, hopefully if I can get the compost nice and hot we should be good to go!  Composting should take anywhere upto a fortnight and will sterilise itself from any other mushroom spores with it's own heat.  I might be better to get one of them rotating compost bins and save my back...  

Not sure how long the mushrooms take to fruit once sown into the compost but think it's within a fortnight.  So brewing once a month and fresh mushrooms once a month.  Seems like a good deal to me!

If only I could work out a way to convert it to gold...