Not all beer is made equally. What you need to know
The ever-increasing population of plant-based consumers is increasing the demand for vegan or vegan-friendly alcoholic beverages. It is now common to attend a bar or beer brewery with at least one delicious vegan food choice, and many smaller brewers are becoming entirely plant-based. Therefore, it makes sense for the broader beer community to move in this direction.
What about beer isn’t vegan? A few secret components in popular beer are frequently not vegan or vegetarian-friendly.
Is beer vegan?
Occasionally, beer is not vegan-friendly. Many beers often contain barley malt, water, hops, and yeast, all vegan-friendly components. However, some brewers utilise animal-derived fining agents such as gelatine or isinglass (fish-based gelatine) to refine their beers to clarify the final product before bottling, kegging, or canning. This is common; several large commercial breweries, including Guinness, employ this fining agent to ‘clean’ their beer.
This is also frequently the case with wines containing egg or fish-based fining agents. Although the final beer and wine may not contain traces of these non-vegan-friendly components, vegans who are strong in their beliefs will want to ensure they support vegan-friendly companies with ethical procedures, so it pays to do your homework.
The good news is that Dhillon’s Brewery produces numerous vegan or plant-based beers for the market. Visit our brewery or bars specialising in beer, ale, cocktails and other beverages. The staff will generally know whether their products are vegan-friendly and what fining agents are used in the brewing process.
Alternatively, visit our shop to select, order and taste a range of vegan-friendly beers
