One of the most famous beers in the world - and undoubtedly the most popular non-craft stout - has turned its head towards a brighter all-inclusive future with the change towards a vegan Guinness, meaning they've actually changed their filtration process for the first time in over two centuries.
For years, vegans all over the world who love Ireland's staple beer have been asking for a vegan Guinness, with an ongoing campaign that has gone on for a while and even several online petitions - and the London-based company is now officially pleasing its fans after changing a key process in the making of their beer.
According to The Independent, the company recently announced the vegan Guinness move, saying that they'd be switching to a new filtration plant that would be friendly to those who don't consume animal products, after having used isinglass, a product coming from fish bladders, for the past 256 years.
"Whilst isinglass is a very effective means of clarification, and has been used for many years, we expect to stop using it as the new filtration asset is introduced," a spokesperson for the brand told the Sunday Times about the change towards a vegan Guinness, without going into specifics about what exactly would be used as a new filtration agent.
The Examiner reports that it was a long battle that led to the vegan Guinness beer, after vegan activists lobbied towards beer makers having to label their use of isinglass in their drinks, but this idea was ultimately scraped from the European Parliament back in 2003, to the frustration of those who don't consume animal products.
In all, isinglass isn't used to enhance the flavor at all, but rather to help the yeast sediment settle faster, but of course, considering it's a fish product, it's bound to happen that tiny parts of it end up in beer.
In any case, at some point in 2016, beer fans can rejoice with the vegan Guinness options!
