As someone who became a vegan over the summer, I was fairly shocked to discover that I could no longer drink a lot of the alcohol that I once enjoyed. It seems strange that alcohol, and beer in particular, should contain animal products, but unfortunately many do. If you’re a vegan like me, don’t let your pint catch you off-guard!
Many alcoholic drinks are filtered through a substance called isinglass – derived from the swim bladders of Sturgeon fish. Not to be confused with the former Scottish First Minister, who as far as we know doesn’t have a swim bladder, Sturgeons are massively overfished. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) claims that 85% of Sturgeon species are at risk of extinction, prompting many breweries to remove isinglass from their products.
For my fellow vegan beer drinkers, the only big-name pints you’ll have to miss out on are Carling, John Smiths, Fosters and Kronenberg 1664 – hardly a massive loss in my opinion. Luckily, many drinks that were once inaccessible to vegans are changing their ways. Guinness, for example, became vegan in 2017, so fear not, splitting the ‘G’ is safe. However, make sure to check before you drink – most nutritional information is freely available on the internet, and you’ll always be able to find out if your pint is safe for you to enjoy. Popular beers that are available for all to drink include Carlsberg, Neck Oil, Madri and Asahi. Newcastle’s very own Student Brew are also taking steps to make their products vegan, with their ‘Lab Session’ Pale Ale being free from all animal produce.
If you're a vegan like me, don't let your pint catch you off guard
If spirits are more to your taste, don’t worry, your trebs at Market Shaker are safe. Smirnoff’s is vegan; however, you may need to be a little more careful around other drinks. While Aperol itself is vegan, some alternatives contain animal products. Coffee and honey-based drinks are also best avoided, as while some are vegan, the majority aren’t.
My biggest tragedy since becoming vegan occurred when I was offered a drink of a friend’s La Vielle Ferme wine – popularly known as “Chicken Wine”, only to discover that I couldn’t drink it. In the spirit of the “I’ve had to go to burger king” woman from a few years back, I had to opt for a bottle of Co-op red, which in fairness was lovely.
Many popular drinks containing animal products can catch out many newbie vegans, myself included– I still think about the pint of Shipyard Pale I was forced to surrender upon discovering it contained lactose. Remember to stay vigilant, and enjoy your cruelty-free pints.
