Here’s a fun little beer factoid you probably didn’t know: A gelatinous substance derived from dried fish bladders, called isinglass, is often used to filter cask ales during the brewing process. Ew, right?
While it’s likely not something you’ll think twice about while quaffing that next pint of Guinness, for steadfast vegans it’s a deal-breaker.
That’s why the Irish stout giant has announced it will be eliminating the use of said fish guts from the filtration process used for kegs. So, reports Quartz, “the vast amount of its stout going to pubs around the world will now be vegan-friendly.” (Relax, it’ll still taste just like you remembered.)
This is the culmination of years of effort on the brewery’s part, which hoped to eliminate all trace amounts of fish bladder from its portfolio by the end of 2016. Now the hope is to hit that benchmark by the end of this year.
“Full distribution of bottle and can formats will be in place by the end of 2017, so until then, our advice to vegans is to consume the product from the keg format only for now,” the website states.
