Beer is often made frombarleymalt, water,hops andyeast and so is often suitable forvegans andvegetarians.[1][2] Some beer brewers addfinings to clarify the beer whenracking into a barrel. Finings can include plant-derived products, likeIrish moss, or animal-derived products, likeisinglass andgelatin.[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 Brewery in Manchester, theBlack Isle Brewery, andBlack Sheep Brewery, all of whom have declared they make vegetarian and/or vegan beer.[4]
The British writerRoger Protz says thatbeer glassware only became popular in the 19th century, and that Britishcask ale is traditionally served unfiltered.
Most beer is filtered without the need for animal products, and so remains vegetarian; howeverBritish cask ale producers do notfilter the beer at the end of theproduction process.[5] When beer is left unfiltered, theyeast thatfermented thewort, and turned the sugar in the barley into alcohol, remains insuspension in the liquid. The yeast that remains suspended in the beer creates a cloudy appearance, and can have a yeasty flavour.[6]Finings are 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 bladders of fish, usuallysturgeon, though also those in thepolynemidae,sciaenidae andsiluridae families;[8] as it is an animal product, cask ale cleared with isinglass is not considered vegetarian.
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 orhead on the finished beer.[9]
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.
Some beers, particularlymilk stouts, containlactose, a sugar derived frommilk, and are thus not suitable for people who abstain from eating dairy products.
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.
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 Brewery in 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]
Guinness opened 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]
