Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Ugggh  (Read 1838 times)

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4439
  • Play Nice
    • Harvey's Brewhaus
Ugggh
« on: November 03, 2015, 06:45:25 pm »
This just bothers me....

(NEWSER) – After pressure from beer-chugging vegans who were behind a long-running campaign and several online petitions, Guinness has elected to change its 256-year-old recipe and remove isinglass—a gelatinous byproduct of fish bladders that helps filter yeast particles—from its brewing process, reports CNN Money. Guinness now says it will use a new filtration plant to be installed at its flagship brewery in Ireland at some point in 2016, reports the Independent, while it doesn't yet plan to change its other breweries scattered across 49 countries.

The company had previously responded to requests to remove isinglass by saying it provides a "very effective means of clarification," and as recently as January said in a company email to Barnivore, which tracks animal ingredients in adult beverages, that it had yet to find a replacement "as effective and as environmentally friendly." No word yet on what it's come up with. Parent company Diageo has said that competition from microbreweries flattened its sales in 2015. Meanwhile, many popular beers, including Anheuser-Busch, Heineken, and Miller, are deemed vegan-friendly by Barnivore. (Guinness lovers may want to check out one of Starbucks' latest latte )


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Online pete b

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4134
  • Barre, Ma
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2015, 07:44:17 pm »
Sounds like they decided it was economically, ethically, or otherwise in their best interest, including taking into account quality, to make a change based on feedback from what they consider a significant portion of their customers. I wish all corporations were as responsive.
Don't let the bastards cheer you up.

Offline majorvices

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 11326
  • Polka. If its too loud you're too young.
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2015, 05:24:11 am »
Doesn't bother me any. I have had more than a few people ask me if my beer is vegan, including two of my business partners wives. Since I use Biofine Clear I am able to tell them, yes, it is.

Online hopfenundmalz

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 10678
  • Milford, MI
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2015, 06:11:56 am »
Doesn't bother me any. I have had more than a few people ask me if my beer is vegan, including two of my business partners wives. Since I use Biofine Clear I am able to tell them, yes, it is.
Guinness may have said we will use this newer product compared to traditional Isinglass and cut the flack they were taking.
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4439
  • Play Nice
    • Harvey's Brewhaus
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2015, 06:13:56 am »
Vegan doesn't bother me.....it's the sensationalism of isinglass. Headlines brewery uses fish guts in brewing....most people don't understand what really is going on in the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Online pete b

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4134
  • Barre, Ma
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2015, 06:22:52 am »
Vegan doesn't bother me.....it's the sensationalism of isinglass. Headlines brewery uses fish guts in brewing....most people don't understand what really is going on in the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I always wonder how humans, especially before science isolated such substances and found their value. "My beer is hazy, what will help? Dandelions? Apples? Nope that didn't work? How about the guts of a particular fish? "
Don't let the bastards cheer you up.

Offline Stevie

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 6858
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2015, 06:28:25 am »
Cheese is thought to have been created when trackers would store milk in a calves stomach for transport. There are veggie alternatives, and maybe synthesized (?), but rennet still comes from cows.

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2015, 06:31:44 am »
I always wonder how humans, especially before science isolated such substances and found their value. "My beer is hazy, what will help? Dandelions? Apples? Nope that didn't work? How about the guts of a particular fish? "

I felt the same way about the beaver anal gland story a couple years ago.  In the search for flavor enhancers in various food products, how did the idea of sampling beaver arse ever cross somebody's mind ?    ;D

EDIT - I'm sure it goes back to some old hunting/trapping story. Bizarre nonetheless.
Jon H.

Online hopfenundmalz

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 10678
  • Milford, MI
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2015, 07:17:33 am »
Vegan doesn't bother me.....it's the sensationalism of isinglass. Headlines brewery uses fish guts in brewing....most people don't understand what really is going on in the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Another fining agent is PVPP, a plastic. Why don't people get in a tizzy about that? It is RHG compliant, as it has been shown that no PVPP end up in the finished beer.
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline BrodyR

  • Brewmaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 524
  • Philadelphia, PA
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2015, 07:39:56 am »
Vegan doesn't bother me.....it's the sensationalism of isinglass. Headlines brewery uses fish guts in brewing....most people don't understand what really is going on in the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm with Pete 100% on the whole, it's awesome that a corporation is being responsive to it's audience and addressing ethical concerns but those fish guts headlines were ridiculous. While I'm not vegan I rarely eat meat and get the whole environmental and ethical issues with factory farming and over fishing but to me Isinglass and Gelatin are more of a byproduct.

I forgot about that Beaver anal gland thing haha, that's thinking outside the box. Remember that Guinness myth that they mashed with dead rats or something?

Offline dbeechum

  • Global Moderator
  • I spend way too much time on the AHA forum
  • *****
  • Posts: 2914
  • Pasadena, CA
    • Experimental Brewing
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2015, 09:28:39 am »
Everyone loves to talk about castoreum (the excretion of a beaver anal gland that happens to be very vanillay/strawberry) - looking at the stats, here in the states less than 300 pounds of castoreum is used per year for consumable purposes as opposed to 2.6 million pounds of vanillin. It's mostly used in the perfume industry which is where I suspect you get the initial use.

Good on the big G for responding to their market and removing isinglass. The vegetarian/vegan market is a much greater concern over in Europe than it is here, but it's nice to see some things shifting around.
Drew Beechum - Maltosefalcons.com
- Vote in the AHA GC Election! - http://bit.ly/1aV9GVd  -
-----
Burbling:
Gnome is in the Details
*Experimental Brewing - The Book*
Tap:
Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Tupelo Mead
Farmhouse Brett Saison

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2015, 09:38:26 am »
Everyone loves to talk about castoreum (the excretion of a beaver anal gland that happens to be very vanillay/strawberry) - looking at the stats, here in the states less than 300 pounds of castoreum is used

Drew, I would counter that's 300 lbs too much.   ;D    Hadn't heard the connection to vanillin - another handy use.
Jon H.

Online chumley

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1208
Re: Ugggh
« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2015, 09:40:16 am »
I am finally feeling inspired to brew an oyster stout.