Is Beer Vegan?

Beer is made from grain, hops, yeast and water, so you'd think it would be the easiest drink to call vegan. Most of the time it is. But some brewers use animal products to make their beer look clear, and those don't show up anywhere on the can or bottle.

Why some beer isn't vegan

After fermentation, beer is cloudy with yeast and proteins. Brewers clear it in one of two ways:

• Filtering, which strains particles out. Most canned, bottled and keg beer is filtered, usually without animal products.
• Fining, which means adding something that grabs the particles and drags them to the bottom. Some finings are animal-derived.

Because finings are processing aids rather than ingredients, they generally don't have to be listed on the label. That's why you can read a beer's ingredients and still not know.

Animal-derived finings and ingredients in beer

Isinglass is the big one. Traces can remain in the finished beer, which is why vegans and most vegetarians avoid beer cleared with it.

Popular beers at a glance

These statuses come from brewers' own replies collected by Barnivore. Recipes and processes change, so the date matters.

Cask vs keg in Ireland and the UK

This is the part that matters most if you drink in Irish or UK pubs.

Cask ale (the hand-pulled "real ale" in British pubs) is unfiltered and finishes conditioning in the cellar. To make it pour clear, brewers have traditionally added isinglass to the cask. It's the most common place to find isinglass today.

Keg, can and bottle beer is usually filtered and often pasteurised before packaging, so it rarely needs finings. Bottle-conditioned beers are the exception, and brewers can still fine a batch that's too hazy.

The good news is that a lot has changed. Many British breweries now make vegan cask ale using non-animal finings, and some, like Moor Beer Co in Bristol, say all their output is vegan. Look for "vegan friendly" on the pump clip, or ask the bar staff to check the cask. In Ireland, cask ale is less common, but the same rule applies to craft ales: check the brewery.

Reinheitsgebot and German beer

The German beer purity tradition, known as the Reinheitsgebot, limits beer to water, malt, hops and yeast. Isinglass and gelatin aren't on that list, and many German lagers are filtered rather than fined, so German beer is often vegan.

It isn't a guarantee, though. The rule governs ingredients, and processing aids are a separate question. Use it as a good sign, not a verdict, and check Barnivore for the brand.

How to check a beer

1. Search Barnivore. It's a free database of more than 65,000 beers, wines and spirits, built from producers' own replies, with dates. It's the fastest way to check.
2. Look for a vegan mark. Some breweries carry the Vegan Society trademark. BrewDog, for example, registered 23 beers in 2016.
3. Read the ingredients for honey and lactose. These are ingredients, so they must be listed. In Ireland and the UK, milk (including lactose) appears in bold as an allergen.
4. Be cautious with cask ale. Ask at the bar or check the pump clip.
5. Ask the brewer. Most reply quickly. Ask specifically: "Do you use isinglass, gelatin or any animal-derived finings?"

US labels

US beer labels don't have to list finings or processing aids, and allergen labeling on alcohol is voluntary for now. In January 2025, the federal alcohol regulator (TTB) proposed making allergen labeling mandatory, which would cover milk, eggs, fish and shellfish used in production. Until a final rule takes effect, don't rely on the label alone.

Allergy and gluten notes

Most beer contains barley or wheat, so it isn't gluten-free. Beers fined with isinglass may contain traces of fish, and milk stouts contain milk. If you have an allergy, contact the brewer.

Vegan beer and food

Most vegan beers pair with anything, but watch the pub menu. Beer-battered fish is the obvious one, and beer-battered chips or onion rings can share a fryer or batter with fish. If you're cooking with beer, check the bottle before it goes in the pot.

The bottom line

Most beer is vegan. The exceptions are beers cleared with isinglass or gelatin, which don't say so on the label, and beers made with honey or lactose, which do. Big-brand lagers and Guinness are fine. Cask ale is the riskiest. When in doubt, look it up on Barnivore. For other drinks, see our vegan drinks guide and our page on wine.