compost contents query

Preserving qualities?  I thought hops were used purely for their bitter flavour??

Okay, by 'spent', I assume you mean after mashing for beermaking.  Both grain and hops would be mainly carbon and, having been boiled, I'd expect them to break down very quickly as soon as the bacterial population was restored.  Perhaps you could layer with grass cuttings or similar nitrogen / bacterial source.

Thanks for the IPA info mushroom - very enlightening.

I have some layered couch grass roots which have dried out. Do you reckon it'd be ok to put them on?

Only if you are sure they are dead, or if you can manage to get the heap very hot.

Your Profile doesn't tell me if you are organic but, for me, any of green nettles, manure, poultry droppings, pigeon droppings would be normal nitrogen sources for a compost heap.

Thanks for the IPA info mushroom - very enlightening.

IPA is my favourite style. I have 10 gallons on the go right now. Will make another 5 towards the end of this week. The 1060 OG will be conditioned in the cask then bottled, the 1055 OG will just be dispensed from the cask, but I'll bottle a couple of pints of it for posterity. I aim to have a rolling production from now on. Because I mash from first principles every time I brew, you can see why the initial question was so important  :shock: - already the heap is about 1/4 full and that's just with 2 mashes.

It would produce less bulk to compost if I did it from concentrated barley syrup but then it wouldn't be the Real Ale

Hopefully the pre-digested (isn't boiling/cooking "digesting?) remnants will provide a fast substrate for composting bacteria to work on. I'm going to burn the dried couch grass at bonfire time, to be on the safe side. All the other weeds i reckon will be killed in the composter.