Michelle Martinelli, iEG contributor
Vegan beer lovers: Rejoice! For the first time in its 256-year history, Guinness is going vegan.
The world-renowned Irish stout will change its filtration process by the end of next year to eliminate fish-based isinglass — a substance used to improve the beer’s clarity and remove excess yeast, according to the U.K. newspaper The Times.
Isinglass is a byproduct of dried fish bladders, and even though it is removed from the beer after it’s filtered, trace amounts are left behind, keeping vegans and some vegetarians away from the drink.
Guinness has been using isinglass since at least the 1800s, according to The New York Times, but by the end of 2016, it finally will be vegan after an “‘investment in a state-of-the-art filtration system’”.
The end of fish bits in Guinness is nigh — relatively speaking — and I can’t wait to sip Ireland’s national beer for the first time. Guinness is taking a step toward accommodating meat-free lifestyles, but there are plenty of other adult beverages that still don’t make the cut.
Isinglass and other animal products are commonly used to produce cask beers as well as other U.K.-based brews, but German, Belgian, and American varieties are usually safe for vegans and vegetarians. Other beer ingredients to keep an eye out for include gelatin and lactose, among several lesser-known ones.
In the U.S., beer companies are not required to list their ingredients, so while the addition of something like honey is usually fairly obvious — often found in the beer’s name — many others are not. My heart broke a little bit when I realized I couldn’t down a glass of Flying Dog’s Pearl Necklace Chesapeake Stout because it’s brewed with oysters local to the Maryland company.
For an extensive list of vegan-friendly beers, wines and liquors, check out Barnivore.com.