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Vegan Products & Standards
P.O. Box 917
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
VPS-Info@VeganStandards.com
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So.. why wouldn't beer be vegan? Beer is occassionally fined using isinglass. Happily, most beer is vegan though! Isinglass is a very pure form of gelatin obtained from fish bladders(often sturgeon). The addition of a fining product simply speeds up a process which would otherwise occur naturally. What companies make beer that is processed without vegan products? We've got a long list below. But that's not all, many other companies also use a vegan process, but we just haven't had a chance to confirm them yet. Keeping up to date with all the microbrews out there is especially challenging, so if you notice any drinks not on our list that you'd like to be drinking, please email us with the company's name and contact info and we'll investigate it for you. What about wine then? Unfortunately it seems that many wines are not vegan. It's common to use animal ingridients in the clarification process, such as isinglass (made from fish bladders), gelatin (from animal bones), caseinates (milk proteins), and animal albumin (from eggs or dried blood powder). Non-animal alternatives include limestone, bentonite, kaolin and kieslguhr (clays), plant casein, silica gel, and vegetable plaques. Although the list of wines we've confirmed as vegan is relatively small so far, rest assured that we're just getting started and will be working hard to verify more soon! In the meantime keep in mind that any wine that's labeled as being "Unfined" should be vegan as well. Don't tell me I can't drink the hard stuff! You can relax - the production of hard liqour does not generally involve the use of animal substances (Vodka is now filtered using birchwood charcoal instead of with bone char). Campari is not vegan though as it contains cochineal. The below list of companies whose products have been confirmed as vegan is rather small, but one can assume that hard liqour is vegan. Of course, you've always got to be careful of what else they may be putting into that mixed drink! Cider has got to be vegan though, doesn't it? Unfortunately, many ciders aren't vegan as a number of large-scale comercial cider companies use animal products in the fining/clarification process. Specifically, some companies use the following non-vegan ingredients: gelatin (from an animal derived source), isinglass, chitin (crab shells), collagen. Vegan ciders are usually naturally fermented in large oak barrels and allowed to settle over a period of months. Bentonite clay (mined and specially prepared for clarification purposes) or cellulose filter sheets are also sometimes used, to process cider in a vegan way. Don't many alcohol companies support animal exploitation and abuse? Unfortunately many do. They've been included on this list despite that, but it doesn't mean you have to drink them! Unfortunately a number of these companies support rodeos, bull-fighting, marine mammal captivity and much more (for example, Anheuser--Busch supports bullfighting through its Corona Beer affiliations, rodeos through Budweiser Beer, and animal captivity at its Sea World and Busch Gardens amusement parks). Many of these companies also use horribly sexist advertising. My advice? Boycott them too! That's all fine and good, but what if I want to get smashed while I'm out of the country? Well.. it depends on where you are of course. Many of the beverages listed below are available in other countries. You can also find information on vegan drinking in Britain from the Vegan Society. And you can even buy your wine or champagne from Viva, a vegetarian/vegan activist campaign group there! |
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Alloa Light Low Alcohol, N/A AyingerBrau Low Alcohol Lagers Aston Manor Lager US Domestics and/or bottled in the United States Anderson Valley |
Bitters,
etc.
Beaujolais,
Château de Boisfranc (2001)
Fetzer
Eagle Peak Merlot (1995/6) 
Cabernet
Sauvignon (1998, Organic Wine Works)|
Cockspur Rum |
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