Vegetarianism and beer
Beer is often made frombarleymalt,water,hopsandyeastand so is often suitable forvegansandvegetarians.[1][2]Some beer brewers addfiningsto clarify the beer whenrackinginto a barrel. Finings can include plant-derived products, likeIrish moss,or animal-derived products, likeisinglassandgelatin.[3]
Most breweries do not reveal if they do or do not use animal products in the processing of theirbeers;some exceptions areSamuel Smith,Heineken,Harp Lager,Anheuser-Busch,theMarble Breweryin Manchester, theBlack Isle Brewery,andBlack Sheep Brewery,all of whom have declared they make vegetarian and/or vegan beer.[4]
Ingredients and additives unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans[edit]
Finings[edit]
The British writerRoger Protzsays thatbeer glasswareonly became popular in the 19th century, and that Britishcask aleis traditionally served unfiltered.
Most beer is filtered without the need for animal products, and so remains vegetarian; howeverBritishcask ale producers do notfilterthe beer at the end of theproduction process.[5]When beer is left unfiltered, theyeastthatfermentedthewort,and turned the sugar in the barley into alcohol, remains insuspensionin the liquid. The yeast that remains suspended in the beer creates a cloudy appearance, and can have a yeasty flavour.[6]Finingsare used to clear the beer of yeast – there are a variety of agents used as finings, includingsilicon dioxide,gelatin,polyclar,andisinglass.[7]
Isinglass is the most common fining used to clear cask ale. Isinglass is produced from theswim bladdersof fish, usuallysturgeon,though also those in thepolynemidae,sciaenidaeandsiluridaefamilies;[8]as it is an animal product, cask ale cleared with isinglass is not considered vegetarian.
Glycerol monostearate[edit]
A brewer may also use some form of animal product in the later stages of beer processing, such asglycerol monostearate,which is used to create a foam orheadon the finished beer.[9]
Honey[edit]
Honey is added to some beers as anadjunct,for flavouring and to sweeten the beer. Though generally considered suitable for vegetarians, honey is an animal product, so is not suitable for vegans.
Lactose[edit]
Some beers, particularlymilk stouts,containlactose,a sugar derived frommilk,and are thus not suitable for people who abstain from eating dairy products.
Packaged beers[edit]
Other thanbottle conditioned,beers which are packaged in cans, bottles or kegs are filtered in some form, either pasteurised or cold-filtered. In general filtering does not require the use of finings,[10]though animal finings may be used on some batches that are too hazy to be cleared easily by the regular filtering methods.
Vegetarian breweries[edit]
Even though many beers are vegetarian, most brewers do not reveal which beers contain animal products. Those brewers who have published this information include Bartleby's Brewery,[11]Samuel Smith,[12]Anheuser-Busch,[13]MillerCoors,[14]theMarble Breweryin Manchester, UK,[15]theBlack Isle Brewery,[16]Little Valley Brewery,[17]the Pitfield Brewery,[18]Black Sheep Brewery.[19]theEpic Brewing Company,[20]and Broken Compass Brewing Company.[21]
Guinnessopened a new filtration plant in 2016 that made their beer vegan-friendly[22]which was expanded in 2017 to include all Guinness (i.e. all draught, bottle and can forms).[23]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Vegetarian Times,p 31, Mar 1993, Drew DeSilver, Active Interest Media, Inc.,ISSN0164-8497
- ^The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian,Frankie Avalon Wolfe, Alpha Books, 2000,ISBN0028639502p 56
- ^Barnes, Liam (15 September 2016)."The fishy ingredient in beer that bothers vegetarians".BBC News.
- ^
- Active Interest Media, Inc. (December 1996).Vegetarian Times.Active Interest Media, Inc. p. 78.ISSN0164-8497.
- Wattles, Jackie (2 November 2015)."Guinness stout plans a vegan brew in 2016".CNN Money.Retrieved2 December2017.
- Brewery, Marble (marblebrewers). "Good beer and vegans should never be kept apart. It goes without saying but all of our beers are vegan friendly.". 02 Mar 2016, 18:35 UTC.Tweet
- Campbell, Colin (29 January 2015)."Beer of the Week: Scotland's vegan-friendly breweries".Herald Scotland.Retrieved2 December2017.
- Walker, Rachel."Vegging Out With A Beer".Reader's Digest.
- ^ "The Vegetarian Society - Alcohol Information Sheet".vegsoc.org.Retrieved2009-02-07.
- ^Animal Ingredients A to Z,p 73, E.G. Smith Collective, AK Press, 2004,ISBN1-902593-81-2
- ^ "Wine and Beer Finings".brewerylane.Retrieved2009-02-07.
- ^"scientificsocieties.org"(PDF).
- ^ "Beer and the Vegan Diet - Beer and Brewing".bellaonline.Retrieved2009-02-12.
- ^Consumer, Ethical (8 May 2018)."Ethical shopping guide to Beer & Lager, from Ethical Consumer".
- ^"Our Ethos".Bartleby's Brewery.Retrieved19 August2015.
- ^ "ss_vegansoc_letter.gif (GIF Image, 826x1121 pixels) - Scaled (60%)".merchantduvin.Retrieved2009-02-12.
- ^ "Vegetarian beers".zen159730.zen.co.uk.Retrieved2009-02-12.
- ^ "FAQs".millercoors.Retrieved2009-02-16.
- ^ "The Vegetarian Society - Marble brewery nomination Press Release".vegsoc.org.Retrieved2009-02-12.
- ^"Approved Company: Black Isle Brewery".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-10-12.Retrieved2010-09-02.
- ^"About Us |".littlevalleybrewery.co.uk.
- ^"The Beer Shop Online".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-14.
- ^ "Black Sheep – no baa for Veggies".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-09.
- ^Sun, Third."Epic Brewing Company - About Epic".
- ^"Broken Compass Brewing".Broken Compass Brewing.
- ^"Guinness to Go Vegan After 256 Years".Retrieved3 November2015.
- ^"It's official – all Guinness is now suitable for vegans in draft, bottle and can form".Vegan Food & Living.23 January 2018.Retrieved7 November2018.
