Some beers aren't vegetarian. It's one of those blows that stops a vegetarian cold. The second blow comes when wine is added to that list.

What does it take to make beer? That is a seemingly easy question. Water, malt, hops and yeast is the basic recipe. There is no way this brew could be anything but a vegetarian beer! And perfect for the vegan, too.

So, if beer, which is revered by so many, many people, has nothing in it but water, malt, hops and yeast, why has the term "vegetarian beer" suddenly begun to appear in various magazines and news publications?

It is most likely because many people have now been learning about the benefits and the ethics of a vegetarian or vegan life style, that the questioning of what they are ingesting has begun. So why not ask, "Is the beer I'm drinking vegetarian beer? And why would beer not be a vegetarian drink?"

There is no problem with the ingredients of water, malt, hops and yeast being considered as vegetarian beer. There is one exception that happens when honey is incorporated into the brew. This would be all right with some vegetarians, but is absolutely proscribed by the vegan since honey is considered to be an animal product.

The introduction of animal matter into an otherwise vegetarian beer happens in the filtering system. In order to quickly clear beer of the yeast sediment and have it drop to the bottom of the cask, substances called finings are added. The major fining ingredient is Isinglass, which is made from the swim bladder of the sturgeon fish. Along with sturgeon, other fish species that are used for beer finings are the catfish, the drum fish and the threadfin.

By using these animal products, almost all beers are unacceptable to vegan and vegetarians. There are some small breweries that use other methods of filtration, but it does take some dedicated research to find them. Vegetarian beer is not widely recognized, if at all, in the USA.

It is possible to let the yeast sediments settle naturally to the bottom of the brewing keg. But this takes time and time is money to the majority of the brewers of beers and ales. And, as we all know, money is the bottom line for anything. So, vegetarian beer, to the large breweries is just not cost effective.

Another alternative to using isinglass which is suitable for vegetarians is Irish moss, a type of red alga. The process differs, however: isinglass is added at the end of the brewing process, before bottling, whereas Irish moss is added to the hot wort (the mash - the mixture of hot water and crushed grain) while it is being boiled, and primarily reduces hazes caused by proteins. Since the two fining agents act differently, some beers will make use of both.

Some vegetarians argue animal products used during beer production are a technicality worth ignoring. Others are more committed to removing all animal products from their diet, and they're willing to do the necessary research, even if it means finding a new favorite brew.

Great Britain has an impressive number of breweries that are producing vegetarian beer. The brewers of vegetarian beer in Great Britain have been meeting with great success. And with this success comes recognition of the product. The vegan and vegetarian consumers of this ancient and esteemed brew should make sure the major brewing companies in their own countries know there is a market for this product.

While most beer and wine labels don't specify whether animal products were used during production, there are a few good Web sites that list veggie-friendly beers and wines:
The Vegetarian Beer List
Vegetarian Food, Beer, Cider and Wine – Scroll down to see list of vegetarian and vegan Beers, Ciders, Wines and Spirits

Source: www.vegetarian-fun.com/drink5.html
Also: Watch the label

Pictured: Glass of Beer & a Beluga Sturgeon