Beer

[Michael]

I would like to say that I find it safe to assume when I have a beer, or even a glass of wine or some liquor that I'm not eating any animal products, but when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me

I don't really know how alcohol is made, aside from the fact that wine comes from grapes, and liquor from grains (I believe), so I don't know what companies, especially beer manufacturers, put in their drinks. Part one of my question is are alcoholic drinks vegan? Part two is do you drink alcohol?

I personally drink, but not very often (2-3 times a month, and I only started recently). I did say that my purpose for becomming vegan was for my health, so I do see the hypocrisy in it. However, I'm young (just turned 18) and when I go out with friends I like to drink. I'm going to try and drink less when I start university (but from what I hear it goes the other way around) and we'll see what happens.

EDIT FLUTTERBY

For info, since this thread was getting quite long, what with beer, cider, wine, spirit, pimms, and sangria posts etc, a number of posts have now been moved (where possible) to make seperate threads, all in the 'drink' forum. Hopefully making it easier for all to find info. Any queries, please pm me.

[foxytina_69]

i like to drink personally when i do get the time to go out. (once or twice a month)

often beer and wine use animal products to clairify it, but spirits such as vodka and rum dont seem to use animal products. here are two links to info about beers and wines:

beer: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/foo...ohol/beers.php

wine: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/foo...ohol/wines.php

[mattd]

most wine and alot of beer is clarified with isenglass (i think thats what it's called). from what i've read, isenglass can be anything from fish guts to pigs blood. you can still find alot of vegan beer though. if you're ever in doubt, get german. all beer brewed in germany has to follow strict brewing laws that don't allow for the use of animal byproducts in the filtering.

[harpy]

I like to have a glass of wine with dinner. In the UK it's fairly easy to get vegan wine and beer - sometimes it is even labelled as such in supermarkets - but probably the easiest option is to order it from a specialist company like Vintage Roots or Vinceremos.

[mattd]

isn't sam smith a british beer? cause damn, that oat meal stout of theirs good as hell (and vegan). other than that, it's hard to find vegan british imports here.

[harpy]

Yes, I think Sam Smith is one of ours. Glad you like it - I'll look out for the oatmeal stout. There are quite a few bottled beers here that are vegan but unfortunately "real ale" (sold in a pub, from a handpump) is usually clarified with some animal product - think it's isinglass (fish liver ) Seems to be a bit of an Achilles' heel for some UK vegans.

By the way I have a wine-loving vegan friend in the US who sometimes buys Kosher wine, which apparently is vegan by definition. (Or maybe it has to be "Kosher for Passover", I'm not sure.)

[gertvegan]

Pitfield brewery in London uk do a stout, check http://www.pitfieldbeershop.co.uk/ht...eld_beers.html . Hopefully someones getting some for me this weekend. They are at the London vegan festival in July.

I haven't used them before, but www.vinceremos.co.uk will deliver outside of the uk. I don't know how much it would cost you though.

Most if not all German beers would be vegan. Some law that prevents anything other than natural ingredients to be added.

[Hasha]

By the way I have a wine-loving vegan friend in the US who sometimes buys Kosher wine, which apparently is vegan by definition. (Or maybe it has to be "Kosher for Passover", I'm not sure.)

I did a bit of research, and it turns out that, no, Kosher wine is not necessarily vegan. I found this at http://www.friendsofanimals.org/acti...2003/vino.html:

Kosher wines won't contain casein or animal blood, so they are vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan. There are a few different organizations that certify wine and other food products as kosher, and while some eschew egg whites, others will certify a wine as kosher as long as all of the egg whites were removed from the final product.

[St George]

I got my info on alcohol from here http://isitvegan.info/

[harpy]

Sorry to hear that, Hasha. Maybe it's got to be "Kosher for Passover" then - I'll ask him.

[Roxy]

I've heard some people mention that they can buy alcohol labelled as "vegan". I have never seen this, but if I did, I would buy it! Has anyone in Canada ever seen this vegan labelled alcohol?

[John]

Some wines are labeled vegan. The Radical Red wine I mentioned above says "vegan" on the label.

[Roxy]

Thanks John, but I have never seen this in Canada. I'm hoping someone in Canada will be able to let me know if they've seen that kind of thing here.

[John]

I didn't see the "Canada" part the first time I looked. I think that America exports to Canada though.

[Roxy]

Yep, you're right. They do. And now that I think about it - I think every province here in Canada has different rules pertaining to alcohol and what can be imported and sold. I've only lived here for 2.5 years and am still getting used to all this government-owned liquor business crap.

[John]

If I lived in Vancouver I probably wouldn't even drink; if it's anything like I heard it is. I only drink when I go out to bars.

[Roxy]

What's that supposed to mean? I don't do the bar/nightclub scene so I don't know what you mean.

I prefer to have a quiet sherry or a vodka and pineapple juice at home.

[John]

Actually, I drink with friends outside of bars too. I have heard that Vancouver and Amsterdam have some similarities.

[Roxy]

If you mean like drug problems, yes, there are certain areas that I would not walk around in, by myself, during the day or the night. In the downtown east, there are plenty of homeless drug-users who discard of their needles quite carelessly and plenty of hookers too. But most decent people, wouldn't set foot inside a bar in that kind of area. Scummy bars attract scummy clientelle.

[John]

Uh...Yeah that's it. I guess I just heard false rumors.

[Roxy]

lol well I haven't been to Amsterdam, so I don't really know what the deal is in that city, other than the little bit I've seen on TV. Girls in windows, marijuana cafes and human poo in the streets from memory.

[negavert]

Uh...Yeah that's it. I guess I just heard false rumors.

There was a cafe in Vancouver that was well-known for selling small amounts of pot to its clientele but it has stopped its practice lately. And another one that I've been to where they don't sell (or at least as much and as openly)but allow its patron to smoke it. Officially it's illegal in Canada but in a few restaurant spots in Vancouver the police had paid no mind to them. But I think they're cracking down more.

[snaffler]

I have been just looking at The Bristol Vegan guide online and they have a small artical in the back regarding vegan drinks but I noticed some beers in the guide I thought were unsuitable (the ones in bold)

OTHER WIDELY AVAILABLE BRANDS
Bass Grolsch (except 275ml bottle); Budweiser; All; Carlsberg-Tetley Carlsberg, Lowenbrau; Pils Charles Wells Beers Can, Bottle, Keg (NOT Cask): Bombardier Bitter, Eagle Bitter,
Banana Bread Beer, Red Stripe Lager, Kirin; Lager, Cobra Lager; Interbrew Heineken; Export, Hoegaarden, Rolling Rock; Scottish
Courage Ltd Beck's, Holsten Pils

CIDERS
Aspall Suffolk Cyder: Dry, Medium, Organic; Bulmer UK Ltd Bulmers Original, Bulmers; Traditional (keg only), Strongbow, Symonds; Scrumpy Jack, White Lightning, Woodpecker
Cider; Dunkerton's Cider Company Black Fox; Sparkling Medium Dry, Premium Organic; Sparkling, Kingston Black Cider; Sedlescombe; Organic Vineyard Dry Cider; Thatchers All

In the Beers section I noticed Grolsch now a while back I read that only the
450ml swing top bottles and keg Grolsh was Vegan

In the Ciders the Woodpecker and Strongbow, again I am sure these have alway been unsuitable, I think this info was from the animal free shopper not the latest edition though...

Have these companies updated the process to a vegan one ? Confused

Thanks
Snaffler

[snaffler]

Just looked on isitvegan.com and they say the following are only vegan
KEG/450ml swing tops and 1.5ltr Swing Tops

[Kevster]

I read today about Marble Beer Brewery (est. 1997) that brews organic and vegan beers. They brew in Manchester and can be found in some establishments throughout the city including the Marble Arch Inn, 73 Rochdale road, (0161 832 5914)

http://www.marblebeers.co.uk/brewery.html

[Kevster]

Vegan ales:

http://www.btinternet.com/~p.g.h/vegan_beer_list.htm

Also apparently:

'Bottles not carrying the Vegan Society logo use animal-rendered glue ' Perhaps that is a bit of a generalisation but nonetheless in many cases could be true.

[assilembob]

See...we don't have that as a regulated thing over here. There are a lot of vegan products in america that do not carry anykind of symbol. That makes it difficult to tell
~Mel

[Kevster]

On my recent shopping trip to Morrisons (appalling place) I stumbled across an offer of four bottles of Golden Promise for a fiver, it is pretty good organic beer, thought i'd pass it on.....

[Gorilla]

cheers Kev, i have never set foot in my local Safeway/Morrisons as it seems horrible, but maybe i'll check out that offer.

[tails4wagging]

I'm glad other folks hate Morrisons,the stink of fish is yuk, the place always looks a mess. Only ever went in twice and neither times have baught anything.

[snaffler]

Ok this is something I have been trying to find an answer to since the Bristol Vegan Fayre, at the bar they were selling many vegan drinks, one problem they were selling Grolsch Crown Top, which is the only version of Grolsch that is not vegan...I have spoken to some vegan sabs this weekend who also thought Grolsch was vegan in all forms and others had various views, So I have looked around and this is what I have found so far.

I have names the source of information as well

The Vegan Society
Bass: Grolsch (except crown top)

Vegan Beer Guide
Grolsch (a Dutch beer) served from a spring top bottle has for a long time been suitable for vegans, but Grolsch served from a bottle with a crown top is not suitable for vegans.

Vegan Scarborough
Grolsch [keg, 450ml swingtop bottle] (not the 250ml, 275ml bottles or 500ml cans)

http://www.isitvegan.info/
Lager Grolsch (1.5ml and 450ml Swingtop bottles and draft fine for vegans but no other sizes are including cans) Corrs Brewery.

So I will say shame on you people selling those crown top bottles, shame on you.

I have called the police and reported you click here for your punnishment

[Gorilla]

why do companies do things like that? it's so confusing - wouldn't it be more economical for them to make all their beer the same way? what's the point of having different bottle tops and different beer in each - i bet few people could taste the difference!

thanks Snaff - i don't really drink Grolsch but i had thought all kinds were the same i will watch out for that from now on

[Leigh]

I've recently discovered a bar in Brisbane that has a micro brewery and every beer they make is vegan.

[stuart1746]

HI Leigh,

What's the name of the micro-brewery and does it have a website, always interested in new vegan beers!

[Kumem]

I posted somewhere recently about Aveda as well. Their products are not environmentally friendly either.
This website lets you know which products are the worst offenders:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep/...xtsearch=aveda

Liz

[Skajen]

I became vegan very recently, having been veggie for 6 years. I want to do it properly and make sure i don't make an mistakes.

So i wondered what booze is vegan? I'm talking alcohol from a pub, not a website or a special stockists.

Are there any brands of beer/wine that is? If not what alternatives are there. I LOVE beer and wine

jen x

[John]

I stick to lagers which I have checked up on. Bad news is: most wines aren't vegan. Most spirits are, however. There are several vegan alcohol lists on the internet.

[Skajen]

thanks a lot guys, more appreciated.
however i come from england so that list of beers is probably not as relevant. i'll have a good look on the net! cheers x

[eve]

This may be of interest too: http://www.vnv.org.au/Alcohol.htm

[Skajen]

As far as beers go in a typical english pub, the following are suitable for vegans:

Heineken
Carlsberg
Becks

Also lots of Ales, but i don't like them


Good website:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/geraint...ian_beers.html

[snaffler]

Yep Skajen that is a very good site for that info also you might like to know that all Westons Cider Range is Vegan which is sold in loads of places now.
http://www.westons-cider.co.uk/

The most common Pub ones sold are Stowford Press, Henry Westons Vintage and Old Rosie....mind you one or two old rosies and you will flat on your arse it's damn strong stuff.

[gicuzzi]

You could always contact the company of your favorite beer and ask them yourself!

[mophoto]

i was flipping through my friends cookbook- how it all vegan- and noticed in the glossary that beer was deemed non vegan, technically it wouldn't even be vegetarian in my eyes. through research that night i found out a lot of info. one thing was that my beer of choice was vegan and most others in the u.s. are also. the glossary was taken directly from peta, who like to spread lies about beer and advicate only a 95% vegan lifestyle . granted they must do a lot of good, but just not for me.

through this research i discovered so much about my vegetarian diet that made me ill. i became a vegan the next day and it's only been a month but i can't forsee ever going back. in a way, my love of beer helped me see the vegan light!!

But to give much credit to this forum, i quit my very strong addiction to diet coke 2 days ago. i knew the dangers of aspertame but it was good for me to read how strongly people felt about it. i drink only tea, water and beer. mainly water. maybe one day i'll kick the beer habit, too. so thanks vegan forum people for at least getting one toxin out of my body. (no, i'm not drunk now i just like to ramble)

[berta_the_aspie]

This is kinda wierd but... the reason I became a vegetarian 4 years ago was because I had heard that red meat was toxic. That was also the reason I never started smoking or drinking alcohol. So now I guess I am free of bad stuff... Ehem, exept maybe pollusion from cars and stuff ?

[snaffler]

For anyone interested Strongbow Cider is vegan, I have been asked by a mate who is turning vegan from veggie to find out as its his fave drink.

I have just called HP Bulmer Customer Care Line.

I double checked and asked specifics about the process and ingredients.

"It can be classed as a veggie/vegan product were the words of the person who helped me"

I am sure of the information they gave as they had to find a certain person before they could answer the question.

Just another bit of info I thought I would share might be handy for someone who like the odd strongbow.

[celtic rose]

Great news - hubby's fav drink

[Liz]

Snaffler that has made my day! Thank you!
I used to be very partial to the odd stongbow and I gave it up a few years ago thinking it was non-vegan
I will have to make up for lost time with that one!

[snaffler]

Well the funny thing is that their was some worry as to it's finishing or fining methods so I decided to phone the customer helpline.....also I do like cider but I prefer westons cider but I am going to Reading Festival next weekend and other than Vodka this is the only other drink they sale on site that is vegan which is cool.

I have found if you want to know a products true sources phone them, I have emailed loads of companies that always fail to get back to me.

[catmogg]

Apparently as much as 60% of the population is allergic to alcohol. I don't drink at all any more. On the odd ocassions i did i used to loose control of what my legs were doing and would end up doing great impressions of Mr Bean. Then someone spiked my drink with a date rape drug and and i did a good impression of a catatonic Mr. Bean- luckily i was with a friend big enough to pick me up off the floor and carry me home, so worry not, but loosing control like that scares the life out of me!! There was a really interesting article in the Independant last Wednesday about how there has been a massive increase in deaths relating to alcohol abuse.... Oh and don't they put egg albumen in wine??? There are lots of mail order vegan wines that sound great though, i ordered from vintage roots once, so i could offer dinner party guests a tipple. They loved it....

[Kiran]

Then someone spiked my drink with a date rape drug

Oh MY GOD!!!!