Guinness Extra Stout - North America is Vegan Friendly

by Guinness
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Checked by: Kristy
Double checked by: Karolina, James, Jac, Brian, Kevin M, Adam, Andrew Ian, Dan, William, Alexandru
Added: about 1 year ago

Company email (Feb 2012)

I am writing to you in response to your recent email regarding whether Guinness and it's suitability for Vegans.

In answer to your query however, we do use isinglass, a by product of the fishing industry, for fining all Guinness brewed beers. Isinglass is used widely in the brewing industry although it is extensively refined before use. Its sole purpose is as a fining agent to help remove yeast from our beer, while we accept that some minor traces of isinglass may subsequently remain in the finished product.

We are very happy with the technical performance of isinglass in removing yeast although we are conscious that its use may represent a barrier to consumption of our products to some. As part of our ongoing efforts to further improve the way we make our products, we are seeking alternatives to isinglass. To date, we have not found any alternative that is as effective and as environmentally friendly as isinglass for our product.

Company email (November 2011)

"In response to your inquiry, we would like to let you know that at this time, Guinness Black Lager is not suitable for vegetarians. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

Note from William: March 2011
"I know you have received conflicting information regarding the brewing of Guinness, and your level of exasperation is obvious from the Guinness entry. Nonetheless, I tried to follow a logical thread that has been apparent from the beginning, when Guinness original explained that a certain product (Guinness Extra Stout for export to the U.S.) didn't use Isinglass as a fining agent and was vegan. How could that be, I asked myself. Well, I noticed that the Guinness Extra Stout was brewed in Canada. So, I did some research and found that many of the online commentators at beer sites were wrong. Moosehead, not Labatt's, brewed it for the U.S.

Thus, I contacted the actual brewers of Guinness Extra Stout that exported here, and their response follows: consumerinquiries@moosehead.ca
"Hello William,
Thank you for your inquiry. We do in fact brew delicious Guinness Extra Stout for export to the States right here in Canada’s most Irish city, Saint John. We do not make use of isinglass in any of our brewing processes, export or domestic.
Consumer Affairs Coordinator
Moosehead Breweries Ltd."

Company Email: (pamela.daly@diageo.com) March 2011
"All Guinness brands are free from animal matter. However, isinglass, which is a by-product of the fishing industry is used as a fining agent - i.e. used during processing to clarify beer. There should be little residue in the finished beer. Findings are removed by sedimentation and centrifugation. Therefore it would not be suitable for vegans.
Production processes in the UK are subject to strict UK/EU legislation and at present isinglass is the only fining agent suitable for stout, which has been approved in the UK. Any new fining agent, especially synthetic substitutes, would not be approved for food without rigorous testing both in Europe and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. As yet there are no suitable alternatives available."

Company Email (diageona@consumer-care.net) : January 2011
"In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be considered an animal product and therefore unsuitable.
We can inform you that Guinness does not contain eggs, dairy or honey. In regards to Kaliber, unfortunately we are unable to confirm this for you.

Company Email (diageona@consumer-care.net): January 2011
"In regard to your inquiry, please be advised that Guinness does not currently offer any vegan products. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

Company Email (diageona@consumer-care.net): January 2011
" We are more than happy to assist you with your inquiry. The North American Guinness Extra Stout does not contain isinglass, nor are any animal products used in its manufacture."

Company Email (diageoNA@consumer-care.net): May 2009
"In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be considered an animal product and therefore unsuitable. "

Company Email (guinness@consumer-care.net) : May 2009
"In reference to your inquiry, we do not have confirmation of Guinness 250th Anniversary stout Edition to be considered Vegan. Isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be considered an animal product and therefore unsuitable for Guinness products. Since this applies to Guinness products, it is more likely that this also applies to the Guinness 250th Anniversary stout Edition."

MORE FROM THE BARNIVORE ARCHIVES:
....Jan 2009
"In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be an
animal product and unsuitable. I hope this helps. Once again, thank you for contacting
us."

....Jan 2009
I showed them your web page and they explained (below is a small part of the email in case you want to quote it) that the extra stout is vegan and the draught is not, which explained the discrepancy. Hope that helps. James

"In regards to your inquiry, Guinness Extra Stout does not contain isinglass. Guinness Draught does contain isinglass in both bottles and the draught."

.....Aug 2006:

Our Consumer Relations department has informed us that the Guinness Extra Stout product that you will find in the North American market does not contain isinglass. I hope this is the answer you were looking for. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

...But then we got this one in November:

In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be an animal product and unsuitable.

Did they not know about the Extra Stout? Does this cancel out the previous message? Who knows?

...And then there's the standard reply:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Guinness Draught nutritional information. In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be an animal product and unsuitable. I hope this helps. Once again, thank you for contacting us.

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