Used brewing yeast for fertilizer?

Has anyone used spent brewing yeast for fertilizer? I make hard cider, and I was wondering what to do with all the crud (dead/living yeast mostly) at the bottom of the barrel. Would this be a decent fertilizer for apples and/or pears? Would you use it wet (it would have some alcohol in it then) or dry it out first?

absolutely use it. the dead yeast provides a little organic matter and the live yeast will live on in your orchards. if a batch of cider gets "open pollinated" by wild yeasts, your chances of a good cider will be a little better if you have some of the proper yeast floating around. i always rinse my buckets with plenty of water to dilute the alcohol but i dont know if its necessary

Al Senner wrote:absolutely use it. the dead yeast provides a little organic matter and the live yeast will live on in your orchards. if a batch of cider gets "open pollinated" by wild yeasts, your chances of a good cider will be a little better if you have some of the proper yeast floating around. i always rinse my buckets with plenty of water to dilute the alcohol but i dont know if its necessary

So you use it wet then? How long after you remove it from the fermentor?

Yes I use it immediately after racking out of my primary fermenter

I'm also interested in using the 'dregs' of a brewery. I recently have contacted a brewery about getting their byproducts. I have to go get it, but if it's worth it I'd do it.
Any ideas for how to use them in any way?

I already have the chickens lined up for the spent grain.
William

The leftover lees from the fermenting process for brewing are excellent additions to compost. I find that the core heats up rapidly when added. I do not worry about any residual alcohol/vinegar content as I have not encountered any negatives from the addition.

Depending on how you brew, it can sometimes be a bit of a pain removing the dead yeast from carboys. I find being able to wash them out over the compost pile has been the best process for me. I use a garden hose.