In Ireland, we eat very well! It has to be said that the Irish people are above all good eaters, with a love of good food and local produce! Meat, fish, vegetables, cheeses, honeys… Irish cuisine now has a reputation for excellence in this field, far from the prejudices where the rest of the world once took them for simple cabbage and potato eaters!
Water, yeast, malt and hops… Looking at the Guinness recipe, it’s hard to see where there are any contraindications for vegans. Why can’t those who cry “haro” over animal products drink beer?
The answer lies at the brewing stage: to filter and clarify the drink, the Irish firm used fish glue, also known as isinglass. Made from fish swim bladders, this gelatinous substance removes impurities such as fats from beer.
Some vegans refused to drink the famous beverage. Now they can. Guinness has just officially announced that it will no longer use isinglass to manufacture its eponymous drink. It took two years for the brand to honor its promise, dating back to November 2015.
“Fish glue has been used for decades in the beer industry as a filtration medium,” the company explained to The Times in late 2015. “However, because of this product, we cannot label Guinness as compatible with vegan and vegetarian diets,
At the time, the announcement was already unprecedented: Guinness became the first brewer to agree to put water in its wine… and modify a 257-year-old recipe.
This process, which requires the use of isinglass, is widely used in Anglo-Saxon beers, particularly brown ales, but is very rare in France.
