Ireland’s perhaps most iconic beer is now vegan-friendly, as Guinness reportedly has finished its phaseout of a material used in the brewing process that involved fish parts.
Diageo, the company that manufactures the brand, said the new process for making the stout does not use isinglass, a product made from fish bladders that helps remove extra yeast, the Times of London reported Friday.
Isinglass, which had been part of the brewing process for centuries, has historically been used not to affect the taste of the drink so much as to filter out yeast in the brewing process.
The phaseout of isinglass was first announced by the company in November 2015, The New York Times reported at the time.
“All brewers want to use the latest and the best technology, we’ve been researching for a decade about how we can reduce the amount lost in the filtration process so we were excited that this might work,” Guinness brewer Stephen Kilcullen said.
The new system functions like a giant sieve which doesn’t let any yeast through, eliminating the need for isinglass, The Times of London reported.
Though appealing to beer-loving vegans doesn’t appear to be the main reason Guinness ditched the use of isinglass, company officials nevertheless raise a glass to the idea that it expands the market, if only marginally, The Times reported.
“It’s great though that it means people who haven’t have a pint in a while can have one now,” Mr. Kilcullen said.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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