Are dog treats made with spent grain good for my dog?

Beer and dogs - goes together almost better than... well, anything!  Microbreweries have been sweeping the nation, and in particular, in Colorado.  Not only is Colorado a super dog-friendly state, but Coloradan's also love their beer, boasting over 200 micro breweries state-wide, and what better than sitting with your furry friend on a patio drinking a freshly crafted beer?  How about giving your dog treats made from the same spent grain as what brewed that delicious beer...?  Yeah, we thought so.

With each brewery comes thousands of pounds of spent grain.  Many breweries provide this grain to farmers to feed their cattle - a very healthy source of nutrients at either very little or zero cost to the farmer.

Smart Cookie has teamed up with three Colorado breweries: Copper Kettle Brewery, Dry Dock Brewery, and Avery Brewery (coming soon!) to make healthy dog treats using their spent grain.  So, what makes spent grain so great for dogs?  Read on, friends...

Spent grain (or brewers grain) is what is left after the process of germinating dried cereal grains (typically barley) for the production of beer.  The remaining product is a concentrate of proteins and fiber that is nutritious and great for animal feeding (even for humans! Remember, we're animals too!).  Spent grain has had a long history in animal feeding, dating back to the monks and monasteries that would brew beer and then feed the brewers grain to their livestock.  A very resourceful way to reuse materials they already had - upcycling at its finest.

Spent grain is a great source of protein and fiber, aiding in digestion and providing essential amino acids needed for healthy muscle growth, repair and energy levels.  When paired with high quality, human grade ingredients, like those found in Smart Cookies, you have a little bite of nutritional powerhouse heaven.

Where can you get some delicious spent grain dog treats? Here of course!