Widmer Brothers Drop Top Amber is Not Vegan Friendly

by Widmer Brothers Brewing
Address: 929 N Russell St.
Portland, Oregon, 97227
Phone: (503) 281-2437
Fax: (503) 281-1496
Email: https://www.widmerbrothers.com/contact-us
URL: https://widmerbrothers.com/
Checked by: Andrew
Double checked by: Julianne
Added: about 14 years ago
Double Checked: over 5 years ago

Company email (December 2018)
"Any core packaged Widmer Brothers Beer is vegan except Drop Top because it uses lactose. So Hefe, Upheaval, and Deadlift are game!"

Company Email (circa 2006)
"Some brewers use animal derived products in beer for the purposes of clarification. Of interest is the collagen (protein) in such process aids. The most common comes from certain fish, and is called isinglass. For the same clarification purpose some brewers also use gelatin, which is less effective but easier to use than isinglass. When using isinglass or gelatin, it is likely that only very small amounts of those compounds carryover into the finished beer.
Widmer products do not contain isinglass or gelatin. We receive quite a few questions on this topic and accordingly try to avoid using gelatin in any of our products, even the experimentals, but one exception is a beer that we produce in small volumes, called KGB Russian Stout, that on occasion contains gelatin. Additionally, some beers that Widmer brews for charity under the Collaborator brand name contain gelatin. The Collaborator products are not Widmer products, and are only available in the Portland, Oregon market, and in keg only.
In addition to the fining agents we have two brands that contain lactose, which is isolated and purified from whey. Depending on one's viewpoint a sugar, like lactose, that is isolated and purified from a dairy product, such as whey, may or may not be considered vegetarian or vegan. If you are sensitive to this concept you should probably avoid Drop Top Amber and definitely avoid Snow Plow Milk Stout (aka Milk Stout). DTA contains very little lactose, Snow Plow contains slightly less lactose than milk. One other possible exception is our use of milk sugar in Drop Top Amber ale. I believe the milk sugar, otherwise known as lactose, is isolated from whey. Whey comes from milk curds.
A few consumers may consider diatoms animals or animal products so be advised that any filtered Widmer product used diatomaceous earth as the filter media. Some consumers also consider yeast to be an animal, so be advised that any unfiltered Widmer product will contain live yeast cells, particularly our Hefeweizen."

Other products by Widmer Brothers Brewing: