Guinness Finally Goes Vegan!

So far, 2017 has been a good year for vegans who drink. If you missed the first big news, Baileys released an updated formula for Almande, the all-vegan version of their classic Irish Cream liqueur. While they originally launched Almande last year, the formula contained beeswax, making it unsuitable for those who follow a vegan lifestyle. Luckily, Baileys understood that one little ingredient was isolating customers who would have been more than happy to shell out the cash for a dairy-free and vegan version of their Irish Cream and soon announced their plan to release a vegan formula. The wait time was brutal — but not quite as brutal as that for those who have been patiently waiting for Guinness to go vegan. Two years ago, the company stated that they would stop using isinglass, or fish bladder, in the filtration process for their iconic stout.

According to a report in Quartz, Guinness has stopped using fish bladder to process beer for kegs and most of the stout sent to pubs worldwide. Unfortunately, that means that Guinness in can or a bottle will have to wait a little longer, but the company intends to make good on its promise to stop using isinglass by the end of the year. According to the Guinness website, “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.” But hey, spring is finally here — and Guinness on tap is a pretty good excuse to get out there and enjoy the warmer weather … as long as you’re of the legal drinking age.

Guinness may be phasing out isinglass, but it is still an ingredient used by many breweries. For a database of all vegan-friendly alcoholic drinks, check out Barnivore. Remember, always drink responsibly and never drink and drive — make sure you have a taxi service app on your phone before you go out for a night on the town. You never know if you might need it.

And if you’re looking for great food to pair with your Guinness, check out the Food Monster App, which is available for both Android and iPhone. With over 8,000 vegan recipes (and over 10 new recipes added daily), you’re going to find something you love!

Lead image source: victoriasky1/Shutterstock