Is Your Beer Vegan? The UK Guide to Vegan Alcohol

Most people do not realise that beer, wine, and cider can contain animal products. The issue is not the ingredients themselves but the fining agents used during the brewing and winemaking process.

What are fining agents?

Fining agents are substances used to clarify drinks — they remove cloudiness and particles to make the liquid clear. The fining agent is usually filtered out before bottling, but traces can remain. Common animal-derived fining agents include:

• Isinglass — made from the swim bladders of fish. Traditionally used in many British cask ales.
• Gelatine — derived from animal bones and skin. Used in some wines and beers.
• Casein — a milk protein. Used in some white wines.
• Albumin — egg white. Used in some red wines.

Which UK beers are vegan?

Many large UK breweries have moved to vegan-friendly production in recent years. However, brewing practices change and can differ between canned, bottled, and draught versions of the same beer. Here are some general trends, but always check the specific product:

• BrewDog — all beers are vegan. They are certified by the Vegan Society.
• Heineken — their main lager is vegan.
• Budweiser — vegan.
• Corona — vegan.
• Peroni — vegan.
• Guinness — became vegan in 2018 when they stopped using isinglass.
• Camden Hells — vegan.

Traditional British cask ales are the most likely to use isinglass. Many small breweries and real ale producers still use it. If you are drinking cask ale at a pub, ask the bar staff or check the pump clip.

Which UK wines are vegan?

Wine is harder to check than beer because fining agents are rarely listed on the label. However, more UK supermarkets are now labelling vegan wines clearly:

• Co-op — has one of the largest clearly labelled vegan wine selections.
• M&S — many own-brand wines are labelled vegan.
• Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda — increasingly labelling vegan wines but coverage varies.

As a rule of thumb, organic and natural wines are more likely to be vegan as they tend to use mineral-based fining agents like bentonite clay instead of animal products.

Cider

Most mainstream ciders are vegan, but some traditional farmhouse ciders may use gelatine. Kopparberg, Old Mout, and Rekorderlig are generally vegan. Strongbow is vegan. Traditional scrumpy ciders are more variable.

How to check

The best resource for checking specific beers and wines is Is It Vegan? — search by product name and we will check against our database. For beers specifically, Barnivore.com maintains a large database of brewery responses about their fining practices.

When in doubt, assume it is not vegan unless the label specifically states it. Many vegan-friendly brands are now proudly displaying the Vegan Society trademark on their labels — look for the sunflower logo.