The craft beer revolution is here, and great-tasting quality beers are becoming accessible to us all. Microbreweries are popping up all over the UK, following the success of this niche industry in the USA. Collaborations are common between brewers, nationally and across the Atlantic, making the craft beer marketplace seem more like a community than a competition. So what is the best craft beer for vegans? Also, you can read about plant-based wines in our vegan wine article.
Why is beer not vegan?
One of the best things about craft breweries is that they are very ingredient-focused, they are passionate about using the best, often locally sourced, and responsibly produced ingredients. Many of these microbreweries exclusively produce hop-forward beers such as pale ales or IPAs, and typically they do not use any animal products. Beer types such as milk stout, meads, and cask ales contain “ingredients like isinglass and gelatine which may be used as fining agents, while whey, lactose, and honey are sometimes added as ingredients” Katherine Marengo, Healthline.
Which beers are vegan-friendly?
The good news for those following a plant-based diet is that there are a significant number of socially and environmentally conscious craft brewers out there that are only producing vegan beers. Here is a short list of some game-changing, good beer-loving brewers based in the UK who either produce an entirely vegan range or have done a run of great animal product-free beverages.
Better World Brewing is “in the business to make great beer that supports the people, communities and all life on earth that makes this little planet such a wonderful place. We only have one home after all.” These guys are out to make beer and do good, their mission is clear. They do nothing more than produce quality beers from the best locally sourced ingredients, with the added responsibility of always using recyclable materials wherever they can along the way. These brewers are out to significantly but the carbon footprint of the brewing process and all while having a good time doing it, being active in their community, and numerous environmentally focused projects close to their hearts. Try a can of Better World Brewing’s HOG for a taste of a traditional IPA or get a taste of the classic and popular Citra hop in a can of Polar Pale Ale.
Deya is a brewery based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire set out in 2015 with two clear goals, “brew the most delicious beer they possibly could and create a destination taproom”. “Deya beers are carefully considered and the result of thoughtful attention to detail. Freshness and clarity of flavour and aroma are the key parameters to our beers and their focus throughout the process”. Best of all, most of their range is suitable for vegans, and they make sure to clearly state any which do contain lactose. Their American Pale Ale “How Do You Feel About QR Codes” a juicy and piney pale ale has (funnily enough) a QR code on the can. It’s right next to a number telling you the carbon footprint of your can of beer and will tell you much more if you give it a scan. Deya is focused on sustainability, quantifying, and reducing its carbon footprint while making great beer. Their action plan focuses on the raw production materials, processes, packaging, and transport of all their cans and combating this with offsetting projects. Good guys making good beer.
From the Southwest of England in the county of Cornwall Verdant started life in 2014 “to make beers that they love” focusing on “taste, quality, and ‘round deliciousness. Think juicy, hoppy, unfiltered, hazy beers that are always vegan!” These guys and girls love to produce American-inspired, hop-forward craft beers. Pale Ales and IPAs are the headline styles you’ll find in the tap room of this brewery. Have your socks knocked off by their FIVE A.M. Double IPA, which uses big-name hops such as Citra, Mosaic and Nelson, or open a can of the showstopping, great-tasting People Money Space Time Pale Ale. The best from the west, and 100% vegan.
The North Brewing Co offers a multitude of plant-based and award-winning beers. Transmission is the headline act. This centre-stage craft beer is a “soft and juicy IPA with deep tropical flavour and crisp pine bitterness.” This beer was born in 2015 and still stands strong today. This brewery is culture focused, and has “hosted art exhibitions, raised money for charity, worked with indie food traders on their first events, and seen marriages, kids and friendships begin in their bars”. So, join the community and taste some award-winning craft beer from the north of England. Sip a juicy Ale from down in the Southwest, enjoy a sustainably brewed beer from the Cotswolds, and finish with a carbon-conscious beverage from the capitol. The UK has no shortage of great, vegan-friendly beers, being meticulously crafted by pioneering, and environmentally aware brewers. Cheers!
