Is Guiness vegetarian?!
Is Guiness vegetarian?
Additional Details
6 months ago
I've heard that animal derived products are used in the production of Guiness. Is that true?
Answers:
6 months ago
I've heard that animal derived products are used in the production of Guiness. Is that true?
No. The beer itself doesn't contain animal products, but a by-product of fish is used in its production. This applies to many beers, especially stouts, and wines, especially white.
On this website (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/geraint.bev... I found this:
(from guinness.com by e-mail 2003/11/20)
"Hello,
Thank you for your e-mail.
ISINGLASS
All Guinness brands are free from animal matter and from contact with animal matter. However, isinglass, which is a by-product of the fishing industry, is used as a fining agent for settling out suspended matter in the vat. The isinglass is retained in the floor of the vat but it is possible that minute quantities might be carried over into the beer.
ALTERNATIVES
Production processes in the UK are subject to strict UK/EU legislation and at present isinglass is the only fining agent suitable for stout, which has been approved in the UK. Any new fining agent, especially synthetic substitutes, would not be approved for use without rigorous testing both in Europe and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. As yet there are no suitable alternatives available.
FURTHER INFORMATION
You may wish to contact the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association (former Brewers Society) for further information.
Tel No. - 0207 486 4831
With kind regards,
Freya Kelly
Guinness Communication Centre"
and from Barron's Wine Lovers Companion:
isinglass
[I-zuhn-glas; Izing-glas] Transparent and pure, this form of gelatin comes from the air bladder of certain fish, especially the sturgeon. It's used as a fining agent to help clarify wine, although today's modern gelatin (made from beef and veal bones, cartilage, tendons, etc.) has replaced isinglass in most instances.
Yes, by all means soak up those suds
Yes, the ingredients are: toasted, malted barley, water, hops and yeast.
...who cares, if it is good to you then drink it.
I heard that too, but I think it's an urban myth.
No, its not veggie, its got fish in it.
The quoted letter above shows have stupid some companies can be ! How can they claim it doesn't contain animals but they use isinglass ( I guess fish isn't the brain food people claim it to be ! )
That situation would make it non-veggie to any vegetarian, its only meateaters that would think that could possibly be OK.
And they are obviously wrong about isinglass being the only suitably approved fining agent for stout. There are plenty. What they really mean is that "isinglass is the cheapest and we can't be arsed to change it because we don't care about fish"