The East Neuk Good Beer Guide The East Neuk Good Beer Guide MENU The East Neuk Good Beer Guide Turn the clock back 20 years and you certainly wouldn't have come to Scotland for the quality of its beers. What a transformation! The renaissance in Scottish brewing was spurred on by the Caledonian Brewery winning the Champion Beer of Britain in 2002 for its session beer Deuchars IPA and the following year by Harviestown Brewery who scooped the prestigious award with Bitter and Twisted. A great number of pubs in Scotland are owned by Heineken (formerly Scottish & Newcastle) serving the usual fizzy fare of John Smiths, Fosters and Kronenbourg or by Greene King-owned Belhaven with the ubiquitous Belhaven Best, Tennents and Wifebeater (Stella). Yuk ! However there are some gems of pubs to be found in the East Neuk and environs which serve not only great Scots beers but some of the best English ones too. Here are some great Scots beers to look out for in these cracking East Neuk pubs.

BREWER Peters Well, Killellan, Barochan, Blonde Bombshell Inveralmond Brewery, Perth Independence, Thrappledouser, Ossian, Lia Fail (gaelic for �stone of destiny' -orgasmic taste!) Harviestoun Brewery, Alva Bitter & Twisted, Schiehallion (wonderful Scottish lager), Ptarmigan Orkney Brewey, Sandwick Dark Island, Raven, Red Macgregor. (They also brew Skullsplitter (8.3% ABV) which is regrettably rarely to be found on the mainland). They also brew the Atlas Range including Latitude, Three Sisters and Nimbus. Cairngorm Brewery, Aviemore Wildcat, Trade Winds, Stag, Sheeepshagger (fun to ask for !) Black Isle Brewery, Munlochy Arran Ale, Arran Dark, Arran Blond Broughton Brewery, Biggar Greenmantle, Merlin's Ale, 80/-, The Ghillie, Black Douglas, Scottish Oatmeal Eden Brewery, St Andrews PUB LOCATIONS Return to top^^ All the pubs in the East Neuk are welcoming to strangers and are generally dog-friendly too.

In St Andrews the beasts are pretty well verboten. For the benefit of visitors from foreign parts (ie south of the Forth Bridge) it may be instructive to explain the differences between pubs which sell real ale and those which do not. As a general rule of thumb, the use of the F-word and the C-word are not encouraged in real ale pubs; in those which do not serve real ale their use is actually mandatory and you will emerge cursing like Billy Connolly at a live show. Most pubs are open all day and stay open until 11pm or later. Pittenweem There are now only 2 pubs in Pittenweem West End Bar: One real ale is usually on tap. Otherwise it's the usual bland selection of McEwans 60/-, 70/- and 80/-, Tartan Special and John Smiths Smooth. Larachmhor: Located within a short 50 yard stagger from the front door, the Larach is a former fisherman's pub, now refurbished by the Swiss owners to resemble an ice cream parlour (must not liken the place to the lounge at Bern Airport or I'll be in trouble again).

Anstruther Return to top^^ Bank Inn: The pub has the widest selection of real ales and at the lowest prices in the East Neuk. The Bank has quickly established a loyal following of ale drinkers and now has sufficient ale turnover to justify three ales on tap at all times. Ship Tavern: Great location on the harbour front next to the Anstruther Fish Bar. Two real ales are usually available, frequently an Eden Ale from St Andrews. You can also dine on the best of local produce including lobster, dressed crab and a variety of Barnett's speciality breads. You may even bump into Scott, Eden's head brewer who seems to like the stuff he brews. Boathouse: Superbly positioned on the Harbourfront, the Boathouse has one and sometimes two ales on tap, and offers quality food as well. Dreel Tavern: The Dreel is very probably the oldest pub in town and is renowned for the quality of its ales, (usually a choice of three) as well as its cuisine. Nice beer garden at the back overlooking the Dreel Burn.

This plaque is bolted to the pub wall, commemorating the event (tourist version) concerning the infant peripatetic Scots king James V, which inspired leading local onanists to form their infamous "Beggar's Benison" club dedicated to sex in general and self-abuse in particular. The Haven, Cellardyke: Situated on Cellardyke Harbour, the Haven offers a single real ale but backed up with bottles of Fyne Ales in the chiller. There's also a large beer garden at the back and an extensive menu. Crail Return to top^^ Golf Hotel Crail: Historic hotel dating back to 17-something. The single guest ale changes frequently and has recently included Old Speckled Hen, Abbott, London Pride, Courage Directors and SA Brain's Winter Fire. Small bar with dartboard and an open fire in winter. Live folk music sessions. St Andrews Return to top^^ Central Bar: Located at the eastern end of Market Street the Central is the only pub locally to have been awarded the Cask Marque. As I understand it, inspectors from Cask Marque visit the pub incognito and assess the beers for appearance, temperature, aroma and taste.

All the beers must achieve a score of 16/20 or greater to gain the award. Given the consistent quality of the Central's beers this award comes as no surprise. Some of the best British beers are to be found here and owing to high turnover, pleasant surprises are virtually guaranteed. Recent guest ales have included Blonde Bombshell, Landlord and Spitfire. One of Houston's beers is generally always available. Scotsman newspaper provided and outside seating sporadically available. For more information on Cask Marque (Slogan - For pubs which serve the perfect pint) visit Whey Pat: Located by the West Port, this Belhaven Breweries-owned pub is an oasis for real beer connoisseurs. Few distractions are provided enabling the connoisseur to enjoy the 3 guest ales which are always on tap and socialise with his/her fellow patrons. As at the Central the high beer turnover makes for frequent pleasant discoveries. Some recent finds - Pride, Black Sheep, Spitfire, Lia Fail, Flowers, Barochan, Bitter&Twisted and Thrappledouser.

Droothy Neebors: Located by the West Port, Droothy Neebors is a friendly and relaxed town centre pub, owned by Belhaven Brewery. It's light and airy at the front with comfy chairs in the window and progressively darker and gloomier the further you go in. You usually have the choice of 2 or 3 real ales. Newspapers are provided - 2 broadsheets and 2 redtops to cater for all intellectual tastes. Criterion: The Cri, as it's locally known, has now reverted to its former name and is a superb real ale pub with outside seating continental-style. Main snacks available comprise toasties with a wide selection of fillings. Newspapers provided. Aikman's Cellar Bar: The Cellar is now desperately in need of a lick of paint. In spite of this a good selection of real ales is always on offer although quality can be variable dependent on who is responsible for operations on the day. Recent offerings have included Ossian, St Andrews Ale, Three Sisters and Fireside. If you fancy a pint late at night, this is the venue for you as it's the only pub in town with a late (1am) licence.

It's heaving after midnight in term time and you may struggle to get to the bar. Folk music on Tuesdays and live bands several times a week. Beers with 5.2% Alcohol Content | 5.2% Alcohol Beers Beers with 5.2 Percent Alcohol Content 8.3k views 127 items tags f t p @ List of beers with 5.2 percent alcohol content , sorted alphabetically with photos when available. This list of 5.2 percent alcohol beers includes popular beers from any brewery that are known to have a percentage of 5.2 alcohol. List includes any ales, pilsners, lagers, porters, stouts, etc with 5.2 percent alcohol content. Some of these beers might be popular 5.2 percent alcohol beers while others may be some you've never heard of. Either way this list has the names of beers with a 5.2 percent alcohol level, so if you're looking for new beers to drink this is the perfect reference. Examples include Molson Canadian and Morland Old Speckled Hen.

This list answers the questions, "Which beers have a 5.2% alcohol level?" and "What are the best 5.2% alcohol beers?" If you have friends that are also beer lovers than share this list of popular beers with a 5.2 percent alcohol level by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. (127 items) G Options B Comments & Embed 1 Al Ahram Beverages Co. Stella Export Al Ahram Brewery 2 Berliner Burgerbrau Bernauer Schwarzbier Berliner Burgerbrau 13 Vegetarian beers Vegetarian food, beer, cider and wine This list is now a few years old so some entries might be out of date. There is an excellent and more current list at . Food Supermarkets' own brand products tend to be clearly marked when they are suitable for vegetarians so there is not really much need for a list of suitable products. However, while poking around on the net trying to find out if Kit Kats are okay, I came across a helpful Word document containing a list of all Nestle's vegetarian products .

They also have other "free from" lists for vegans and people who wish to avoid eggs, gluten, milk, soya or nuts. There are also Asda "free from" lists available from the "healthy living" section of the Asda website. A useful site for finding out about the suitability of many famous brands is . Droogie also has useful information about some famous brands. ( Word is evil! Read this essay and then download this free office suite .) A note for vegans I am not a vegan and it would be arrogant of me to presume to tell vegans what is and isn't suitable for them to eat and drink. Of course, vegan-friendly drinks will be a subset of vegetarian-friendly drinks so this list may be useful, nevertheless. My enquiries to brewers have been about which drinks are suitable for vegetarians. When the replies have explicitly mentioned that drinks are suitable for vegans, I have labelled them as such in the list below. However, I have not explicitly asked about whether the drinks are vegan so just because they are not labelled as such, it does not necessarily follow that they are unsuitable. Beer Most beers, unfortunately, are not labelled as being suitable for vegetarians.

Not content with the "ignorance is bliss" attitude that I suspect the brewers are trying to cultivate by not labelling their products, I have started creating a list of those which I am sure are vegetarian, i.e. do not contain animal products or use them in the production process. The evidence for my evaluation of each drink is also listed; references to e-mails link to the text of the reply that I have received from the brewery ( below ). Beer list: from anheuser-busch.com by e-mail 2004/01/07 Dear Geraint, Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and e-mail Anheuser-Busch. We appreciate your interest in our products. Anheuser-Busch beers vary in the type and mix of ingredients, and in certain refinements of the brewing process used to achieve their distinctive and unique characteristics. But, all are alike in one respect - every Anheuser-Busch beer is brewed without artificial ingredients, additives, or preservatives. In addition to using all natural ingredients, we do not use animal derived products in our product or as a lubricant in the process equipment for making beer or packaging material. For more nutritional information about our products, please visit .

Again,Geraint, it was a pleasure to receive your email. Should you have additional questions or comments please contact us. We always enjoy hearing from our friends. Thank you for emailing Anheuser-Busch. We hope that this information is helpful and that you have a great 2004! YourFriends at Anheuser-Busch from arkells.com by e-mail 2003/12/12 Dear Mr Bevan, All beers produced by Arkells use isinglass finings for clarification; the actual beer does not contain these when drunk. Most beers produced in this country either use isinglass or animal shells for filtration. Normally it is only a vegan that does not like the use of the above materials, so if you consider ours appropriate, please look on our website arkells.com. Don Bracher Arran from arranbrewery.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/05 I regret, we use isinglass in all of our products. We hope to do a vegetarian beer in the future, but no immediate plans.

The Arran Brewery Co Ltd Cladach Tel: +44 (0) 1770 302353 Fax: +44 (0) 1770 302653 Web: from Asda.com by e-mail 2004/03/26 Thank you for your request for information about the nutritional content of ASDA products The most up to date 'Free From' information can be found on the both ASDA.com website, specifically in the 'Healthy Living' section of the website (Please follow the link provided below to access the lists) We would be happy to help further if this information does not meet your needs, in this case please access the Customer Service Section of the ASDA.com website and 'Contact Us'.

Kind Regards Bank Top from their website "More hops are added to the cask at this point, for flavour, along with finings to clarify the beer" from bateman.co.uk by e-mail 2003/11/19 Dear Geraint All our bottled beers are vegetarian and vegan beers, Combined Harvest ABV 4.7%, Triple XB (XXXB) ABV 4.8%, Dark Lord ABV 5.0%, and Christmas beer Rosey Nosey ABV 4.9% There is more information on our beers on our website or please do not hesitate to contact me. Best wishes from belhaven.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/02 paraphrased - sender requests contents be withheld. Belhaven beers are not suitable for vegetarians. They all contain isinglass. from bellsbeer.com by e-mail 2006/01/03, updated 2006/12/14 Dear Mr. Bevan: Thank you for taking the time to write to us. We do not use finings at any point in our beers; as a general rule, we don't even filter our beers.

All of the beer that we package for distribution to bars & stores qualifies as vegetarian. Occasionally, we will make specialty batches that may contain honey for our own pub or festivals, such as Eccentric Ale, a festival beer we make once a year in a very limited quantity. Customers can ask any of the bartenders at the Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo for information about the specialty taps. You can find a list of our major brands at . In spite of the name, Double Cream Stout does not contain any lactose or other dairy-derived product. The term "Double Cream" is meant to describe the texture of the mouthfeel, not the ingredients. I hope this helps to clarify matters for those who use your listing as a resource and may have raised an eyebrow at the name of the beer. I hope this addresses your concern. Please feel free to contact me again if you have any further questions or comments. Update (2006/12/14): About two years ago, we made a beer that was sold solely on draft at our own pub. That beer, Hopslam Ale, was an imperial IPA and contained honey as a source of fermentable sugar.

We identified it as such at the time, but this fall we launched it into the broader market in both bottle and draft form. It is selling wonderfully well, so the plan is to keep this on rotation as a fall seasonal. Honey will remain as an ingredient. Sincerely, Black Isle Brewery from Black Isle brewery website At the Black Isle Brewery we aim to produce a range of top quality beers using organically grown ingredients, packaged in recycled materials. Organically grown means that it has been produced without harmful artificial fertilisers pesticides or genetically modified organisms. Furthermore, because our beers do not contain finings, they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. from blacksheep.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/08 Dear Mr Bevan All our bottled beers are suitable for vegans. Brands are: Black Sheep Ale Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale Golden Sheep Ale Emmerdale Ale Riggwelter Strong Ale All of our draught beers are Real Ales, fined with isinglass. So none are suitable for vegans. Some draught brand names are the same as the bottled brands above. So beware of any confusion between bottle and draught products.

Regards Paul Ambler - Head Brewer & Director The Black Sheep Brewery plc Wellgarth Masham Tel: +44 (0) 1765 689 227 RIPON HG4 4EN Fax: +44 (0) 1765 689 from their website "Then we barrel it up and it is ready to drink after the finings have been added." from mydomain.com by e-mail 2003/12/07 Hello Geraint e-mail forwarded from bostonbeer.com, confirmed on 2004/05/10. paraphrased - sender requests contents be withheld Animal products are not used in their commercial beers, except for honey in Cherry Wheat. Cask conditioned ales made for special events may be clarified with gelatin. from bowlandbeer.fsnet.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/07 Geraint I'm afraid that I currently use Isinglass finings in my beers so none are suitable for vegetarians. However, I would be interested in any market statistics you have and will investigate the production of vegetarian beers to see how it might be achieved.

I presume that it is mainly bottled beers that are being sold? If you have any contacts with brewers already producing vegetarian-friendly beers then I would appreciate the chance to talk to them. Regards Bowland Beer - Crafted from the heart of the Kingdom from ceridigionbrewery.fsbusiness.co.uk by e-mail 2004/01/16 Hi, All our bottled beers are suitable for vegans as they have no animal finings in them. The cask ales are fined. I hope this helps from buntingford-brewery.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/05 Geraint, Whilst we will be using some 'modern technology' in our new premises, we will not be using alternatives to isinglass finings. Sadly there is no effective alternative to Isinglass finings in cask ales, despite what some may have you believe. Any beer produced without Isinglass finings loses the live yeast as part of it's manufacture, which is the life and soul of any cask beer. There are also some concerns over the filter medium used in such a filtering process.

It is worth noting that use of isinglass may well be the most ecologically sound method of clarifying beer, given the legal disposal requirements for the filter medium. That said, I am very much aware that the concerns of vegetarians, and whilst not vegetarian myself, I know many who are, and fully understand the concerns. Our official line is that we will not be moving away from the use of Isinglass, but we use only enough to clarify the beer, and this is regularily checked to ensure that we continue to use as little as possible (admittedly for many reasons). Beer will clear naturally given enough time, but Isinglass is added to speed up this process, and give the beer a final polish. Because of this, we are happy to supply beer unfined on the understanding that it will take longer to clear to a level acceptable to the public. Likewise, we can supply vegetarian bright beer (ready to drink, but with a short shelf life), but we would need 2 weeks notice. Bottled beers are another matter, and some of the range we intend to offer in the future will indeed be vegetarian.

None of our beers have any of the chemicals or processed hop / malt ingredients used by many other breweries, and so the use of Isinglass is only because of the demand for polished, quick settling beer from the public at large. I will inform you when we are offering an accredited vegetarian/vegan bottled beer, hopefully within the next twelve months. If anyone has questions about our beer, they are more than welcome to contact us by e-mail at enquiries at buntingford-brewery.co.uk Many thanks for your enquiry, and I hope I have answered your questions, Steve Banfield from burtonwood.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/09 Mr Bevan I have spoken with one of the Brewers of our beer. He informs me that our cask conditioned ales - Burtonwood Bitter and Top Hat Cask - are fined using Isinglass and could, therefore, be considered unsuitable for vegetarians. Our Brewery conditioned beers - Burtonwood Smooth Bitter, Burtonwood Dark, Burtonwood IPA and Top Hat - are not fined in this way and are brewed using non-animal related ingredients (i.e. water, malted barley, hops and sugars) , and could therefore be considered suitable for vegetarians.

I hope this is of use, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. Cheers from caledonian-brewery.co.uk by e-mail 2003/11/24 Geraint, Thanks for your enquiry, and your interest in our beers. Most beers are rendered incompatible for vegans and vegetarians by the use of isinglass finings, which are derived from fish. I am pleased to say that our whole 500ml bottle range avoid its use and they are therefore compatible. These include Deuchars IPA, Caledonian 80/- , Golden Promise, Tattoo and Burns Ale. Our range of draught, can and the 330ml version of IPA do however employ finings and are therefore not compatible for vegans and vegetarians. Please give our 500ml range a try, I'm sure you will enjoy them! Regards from their website, follow the link to "Brewing and Technical" and then "Dietary Data" Beers suitable for Vegetarians/Vegans Carlsberg Brands and Lowenbrau Pils do not include animal products in their recipes.

All other Carlsberg-Tetley Beers may have been treated with isinglass finings (derived from fish) as a clarification aid. from charleswells.co.uk by e-mail 2004/01/07 Dear Mr Bevan, I can confirm that all our products are suitable for vegetarians with the exception of our draught cask beers. In common with all other real ales these are ''fined'' using a substance derivative from fish swim bladder material. I hope this answers your query. Regards Co-op There is a Co-op vegetarian list and a Co-op vegan list on their website. These two lists are not very comprehensive, however. They do not list all the alcholic drinks which are reported as being vegetarian on the co-op website. Note also that the website is not updated as soon as recipes change so be sure to check the label on the bottle. from co-op.co.uk by e-mail 2004/05/08 Dear Mr Bevan Thank you for your recent email.

Lists of Co-op beers, wines and spirits products which are suitable for vegetarians and vegans are available on our website :- I hope that the information available will be of use to you Dennis Hilton from their website VEGAN STATEMENT As producers of all natural beers, we decided from the begining to print the ingredients of our beers on the back label of our bottled product. As part of that process of openess, we feel we should explain why we have a Vegan symbol on the back of the bottles. The Dublin Brewing Company doesn't use isinglass (from swim bladders of certain fish) or gelatin (animal by-product) to help clarify our beers. Nor do we use any animal product, by-product or derivative. All of our beers are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians. Consequently, all of our beers display the 'V' mark of the Irish Vegetarian Society.

Darcy's Dublin Stout from freedombrewery.com by e-mail 2009/09/28 Hi, Here at Freedom Brewery we produce 3 different types of lager: Freedom Organic Lager 4.8% Freedom Pilsner 5% Freedom Organic Dark Lager 4.7% All of our products are certified by the Vegan Society as we do not use isinglass finings and we are proud to have the Vegan Society logo on our bottle labels, packaging and point of sale material. Please feel free to visit our website for more information. It is interesting to see your website as by far the most common question I get asked at consumer shows is “why would a beer not be suitable for vegetarians & vegans??” Do not hesitate to contact me should you require any additional info. Kind regards from fullers.co.uk by e-mail 2003/11/25 Dear Geraint All cask ales contain the fish product 'isinglass' finings for settling the beer (unless otherwise stated) thus making them non-vegan or non-vegetarian. Cask ales can be identified as ales served through a hand-pump.

Beer served from a keg (lagers, smoothflow bitters and stouts) through a flick switch are pastuerised and not fined and so they are suitable for vegetarians. Bottled products are also pasteurised and therefore suitable for vegetarians. All Fuller's bottled beers are suitable for vegans except Organic Honey Dew. This is suitable for vegetarians, but it is questionable whether Organic Honey dew is suitable for vegans as 'honey' is believed by some, not to be a vegan product. Hope this helps. from greeneking.co.uk by e-mail 2003/11/25 Dear Mr Bevan, Thankyou for your email correspondence. I am forwarding a reply for you from our quality manager, Dr K Ogden;- As you are probably aware, beer is brewed from purely vegetable products - malt, unmalted cereals (sometimes), sugar, hops and water. Similarly, most of the processing aids are also of non-animal origin. The exception is isinglass finings. These are a very pure form of protein derived from the swim bladders of certain species of tropical fish.

Finings are traditionally used throughout the British brewing industry to help remove suspended yeast and thus improve the clarity of the beer (and are also used to clarify some wines). As yet, no other substance has been found to be as effective. With keg beers (eg lagers and smooth beers) and beers in can and bottle, the vast majority of the finings are removed by filtration (although there may be trace amounts left). With cask conditioned beers (ie what CAMRA call 'real ale') most of the finings will be with the yeast sediment at the bottom of the cask. I hope that this answers your query. If however you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Jacqui Hobbs the press release: Grolsch wins UK Vegetarian Society award Grolsch Premium Lager is proud to announce that it won a prestigious consumer award in the 'Best Wine and Beer' category at the annual Vegetarian awards in London. Bas Besselink, national brand development manager, Grolsch UK, accepted the award on behalf of Grolsch. Receipt of this award is an indication of the highest quality.

It confirms Grolsch as a product that contains pure, simple, natural ingredients, brewed with care and time, following a process set down by Dutch brewmasters some 400 years ago. Grolsch is, in fact, one of only a few beers that has vegetarian accreditation that is, no slaughterhouse by-products are used in the brewing process. This was in its true sense a popular vote. Voters comprised members of the public along with Vegetarian Society members, who number some 17,000 (there are, in fact, around three million (3 million) vegetarians in the UK as a whole). Voters had to choose between a number of products, including Becks, Hoegaarden, Carlsberg, and Carl Jung Champagne a tough line-up, which makes Grolsch's achievement all the more impressive. As David Preston, Premium brands director at Coors Brewers, said: "This terrific award supports our firm belief that the only additive you need in great beer is time." from guinness.com by e-mail 2003/11/20 Hello, Thank you for your e-mail. ISINGLASS All Guinness brands are free from animal matter and from contact with animal matter.

However, isinglass, which is a by-product of the fishing industry, is used as a fining agent for settling out suspended matter in the vat. The isinglass is retained in the floor of the vat but it is possible that minute quantities might be carried over into the beer. ALTERNATIVES Production processes in the UK are subject to strict UK/EU legislation and at present isinglass is the only fining agent suitable for stout, which has been approved in the UK. Any new fining agent, especially synthetic substitutes, would not be approved for use without rigorous testing both in Europe and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. As yet there are no suitable alternatives available. FURTHER INFORMATION You may wish to contact the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association (former Brewers Society) for further information. Tel No. - 0207 486 4831 With kind regards, from hall-woodhouse.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/23 Dear Sir, thank you for your email regarding our ales and their suitability for vegetarians. Our bottled range is suitable for vegetarians but our cask ales are not.

This is due to the way in which the beer is produced and filtered, animal finings are used in production of our cask ales, but a different process is used for the brewing of the bottled ales. I would advise that unless it states very clearly on the bottles, suitable for vegetarians you would have to assume they are not suitable, unless you contact the brewers direct as you have with us. On our bottles we are currently reviewing having this put on the labels. Our bottled range include Tanglefoot, Badger Original, Golden Champion, Golden Glory Fursty Ferret and Blandford Fly. You are able to view the rest of our beers on our website Hope this is of some help! Kind Regards from harpoonbrewery.com by e-mail 2006/01/03 Hi Geraint, Thank for the email. The only animal products used in beer production (under normal circumstances) is isinglass (the dried swim bladder of a tropical fish from the Sea of China) or gelatin. These products are used typically in the production of 'cask' ales, the unfiltered ones served through a beer engine at bars that cater to beer connoisseurs.

They're very, very rarely used otherwise, although some brewers will use them to prepare a particularly hazy beer for filtration. At Harpoon we never use either for our normally produced beers, like the drafts you're likely to see or any of our bottled products. So, to answer your question - all of our beers are vegetarian. Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Cheers! from heatherale.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/08 Hi, All of our bottled beers are suitable for vegetarians, the filtering and clearing process uses only clean earth and silicate sand filter bases. However our draft beer is all "cask conditioned" and will contain isinglass finings, which are made from fish products. Bruce from Heineken.com by e-mail 2003/11/13 Q&As 1.Is Heineken vegetarian? Yes. We use only malt, water, hops and yeast. No animal resources are used whatsoever. In fact, Heineken is suitable for vegans. 2.Does Heineken contain any GM (genetically modified) ingredients? No. Heineken does not contain any GM ingredients.

3.Is Heineken gluten-free? Yes, it is. The WHO guideline for gluten-free food is that it must contain less than 0.02% gluten (200mg/l). Heinekens gluten levels are way below this level, at 0.0005% gluten. We recommend that coeliac patients check with their doctor before trying Heineken. 4.How many calories does Heineken contain? A 330ml bottle of Heineken contains 141 kcal. 5.What is the carbohydrate content of Heineken? A 330ml bottle of Heineken contains 11.6g of carbohydrates from holsten.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/04 Dear Geraint Holsten Pils is suitable for vegetarians. Kind regards Hopback from hopback.co.uk by e-mail 2004/07/07 Our Entire Stout is a beer suitable for vegans.

For more information on this beer please check out our website from hook-norton-brewery.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/09 Dear Mr Bevan Thank you for your recent enquiry via email to Hook Norton Brewery regarding Vegetarian Beers. I regret none of our beers are suitable to be classified as Vegetarian Beers. You may like to try Caledonian Brewery in Scotland as I believe they brew Organic Beer, they do have a website which is, . The brew I am referring to is Golden Promise Bitter. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for contacting Hook Norton and if we can help any further please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours sincerely from interbrew.com by e-mail 2003/11/19 Dear Geraint Thank you for your email regarding brands that are suitable for vegetarians. The animal product that we use is Isinglass (fish finings). This is a clarification agent made from certain fish. It assists clarification by attracting the yeast cells causing them to coagulate into larger particles which then separate from the beer, giving the beer a clean and clear appearance.

The brands we do produce that are suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans are Rolling Rock and Hoegaarden. These brands are available in reputable off-licenses. Thank you once again for contacting Interbrew UK Ltd. Regards Joseph Holt from hotmail.com by e-mail (2004/11/22) I am pleased to say we have currently two beers which qualify and another which may in the future: HumDinger A 3.5% ABV honey beer bottled in 500 ml bottles, winner of the Tesco Spring/Summer beer 2004 and currently available in 260 Tesco stores nationwide and most of our managed public houses in the Manchester area. An exclusivity agreement with Tesco is due to end soon so the product may be available in a wider range of supermarkets in the future. Thunderholt A 5% ABV darker bottled beer in 500 ml glass currently available in EH Booth & Co supermarkets (27 supermarkets in the North West) and most of our managed houses. Has recently been sold in the Co-op nationally but I would think they will have sold out by now.

1849 Currently not vegetarian but will be in the future when we change to a new contract bottler. Hope this is of help, Regards Liefmans from liefmans.be by e-mail 2004/04/13 None of our beers contain products coming from animals and no animal products are used in the production of our beers. List of the beers of Brewery Liefmans - Riva: Liefmans Kriek, Liefmans Framboos, Liefmans Goudenband, Liefmans Bruin, Fruitesse Kriek, Straffe Hendrik Brown and Blond, Vondel, Lucifer, Dentergems Witbier, Liefmans Pils, etc. from their website FAQ: Is Your Beer Safe For Vegans? YES! Our beers contain no meats or dairy products. Hard to believe with all that taste! Seriously, though, a lot of breweries use isinglass, or fish bladders, to accelerate the clarification of beer. We use a process which eliminates the need to use a clarifying agent.

from their website "Welcome to Marble beers, Manchester's only organic and vegan brewery." "The Marble Brewery was designed by brew master Brendan Dobbin and opened in the Marble Arch Inn in December 1997. Following the success of the brewery and a request to brew an organic beer for the Manchester Food Festival, the brewery has now gone totally organic & vegan (as registered with the Soil Association & the Vegetarian Society)." Matilda Bay Brewing Company I have been sent an e-mail by Thomas who has been in touch with Matilda Bay. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get any reply from them myself. Hi, I contacted the Australian Matilda Bay Brewing Company and the Director assures me that there is no fish etc. in their beer products - Beez Neez, Bohemian Pilzner, Dogbolter, Red Back, Alpha Pale Ale - and that they are suitable for vegans/vegetarians. The Beez Neez, however, has honey in it, so it probably only suitable for vegetarians. from mauldons.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/02 Sorry, all our beers contain the finings of a swim bladder from the sturgeon fish.

Regards Merchant du Vin from mdv-beer.com by e-mail 2003/12/06 Thank you for visiting our website. All Samuel Smith beers are free from animal products and have been certified by the Vegan Society in East Sussex, England. from mightyoak.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/02 We use isinglass finings in all our beers from newbelgium.com by e-mail 2004/11/02 Dear Geraint, Thank you for your inquiry regarding the use of animal by-products in the production of our beers. I am happy to say that we do not use any animal by-products in the production of any of our brands of beer; all brands are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. I was not able to find out whether the Belgian brewed part of our Transatlantique Kriek is produced with insinglass. It is a possibility. I can assure you that all of the beer produced here at our brewery, including the part of Transatlantique Kriek that we brew, is produced without the use of animal products. Please contact me if you require more information. Cheers!

Ridley's from ridleys.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/11 All our cask beers use isinglass finings for clarification, our keg bitter and all our bottled beers do not. PD from southcorp.co.uk by e-mail 2004/03/29 Dear Geraint Thank you for contacting us at Rosemount Estate regarding your enquiry as to whether our wines are suitable for vegetarians. We do not recommend any of our wine for vegans due to the possibility that the wine has been clarified with fining agents such as egg albumin, casein, gelatin and isinglass. Though we use fining agents during the winemaking process, they are removed prior to bottling. With regards to the whether the wine is suitable for vegetarians this is dependent on which type of vegetarian you are. For your information, I have attached a Vegetarian Fact Pack which I hope you will find of interest. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you require any further assistance. Kind regards, from scbrandsltd.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/08 Hi Thanks for your e-mail.

We are pleased to inform you that Beck's is suitable for vegetarians/vegans. We also have one other brand in our portfolio which falls into the same category - this is Miller Genuine Draft. Regards from scbrandsltd.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/30 Dear Geraint Thank you for your email to our Scottish & Newcastle PLC website. Although Scottish Courage's products are not tested on Animals, Beck's Bier is the only product we brew which we can guarantee are not treated with isinglass finings (a solution of collagen prepared from fish). Isinglass finings are not used routinely in all our other products, only as required. Any particular batch may or may not have been treated. All cask beers are treated with finings. Isinglass finings have been used to clarify beers for centuries. The collagen associates with yeast cells and causes the yeast to drop to the bottom of the tank of cask. The sediment remains behind and is not part of the finished product. No suitable substitute has been found, which is why nearly all breweries still use them. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Regards Upland Bumblebee Saison (does contain Indiana honey) Upland Winter Warmer Upland Ard Ri Imperial Red The Wheat and Weizen we allow to be naturally cloudy and no clarification is involved at any step. The remaining brews all spend a good amount of time in cold conditioning, especially the lagers, and polish up wonderfully. However, we do utilize isinglass finings for our main year-round ale styles: Upland Pale Upland Bad Elmer's Porter Upland Amber We have discussed moving to filtration for these 4 specific brews, and one day they may become vegetarian friendly as well. I always like to point out that a very miniscule amount of isinglass remains in the beer after it's use in our conditioning tanks. The positive charge of the collagen molecules of isinglass react to the negatively charged yeast cells to aid in dropping yeast cells to the bottom of our conditioning tanks during 0 degree Celsius conditioning. We then pull the bright beer off of the top of these tanks and the remaining sediment is discarded. I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have. Cheers!

Unibroue I have been forwarded an e-mail by Dan which appears to come from Unibroue. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get any reply from them myself. I can assure you that there is no animal product ou dairy product in our beer. Please let me thank you for the attention in which you have shown in our Unibroue products from wadworth.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/02 Wadworth Beers Information for Vegetarians & Vegans All Wadworth beers are fined with isinglass finings, which is derived from the swim bladders of fish. Finings is regarded as a processing aid. It clarifies beer by flocculation with the residual yeast and the resulting flocs sediments out of the beer. In draught (cask conditioned) beer the flocs sediment to the bottom of the cask and remain there when the beer is served. In kegged, canned and bottled beers, the flocs sediment to the bottom of the storage tank and are removed by filtration.

Information is correct at time of writing (July 2002) and is subject to change without notice from wdbbrands.co.uk by e-mail 2003/12/07 Dear Geraint Isinglass finings derived from the swim bladder of fish may be used to process all of our products with the exception of Marston's Low C and Harp Irish Lager. I suspect other lagers may well not include finings in their processing regimes but you would have to ask the brand owners directly. Regards from hotmail.com by e-mail 2003/12/15 Dear Geraint, I am pleased to inform you that all our beers are vegetarian. Thank you for your enquiry. If there is any additional information, please feel free to contact us. Hope you enjoy your time at ZeroDegrees Nirali Nomination for Vegetarian Society award Nomination for a Vegetarian Society award doesn't necessarily count for anything (winning is a different matter) because the Vegetarian Society don't check to what extent nominations are suitable before listing them on their website.

Black Sheep Ale is listed as a nominee for 2003, however, as their website states, they use isinglass finings for their cask beer; Black Sheep's bottled beer is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, but the nomination page doesn't make the distinction between bottle and cask. Nomination for an award is really only an indication that a product may suitable for vegetarians; at least one person must have believed it to be alright. Use your own judgement for those products that I haven't yet confirmed by e-mail or website. Better yet, contact the brewers directly and ask them to copy the reply to me. Converting this list to other formats If you would like this list in another format (e.g. as a spreadsheet), please read these instructions for conversion . Some other lists that might be useful: The brewing industry, like all others, is continually changing. New products are launched, old products are abandoned and the ingredients and processes used to produce beers can be changed without anyone outside the industry realising. Changes are particularly likely, of course, when ownership of breweries change hands.

There is always the possibility therefore that information on lists such as this are out of date, which is why I have included the replies of e-mails along with the dates that they were received. Unfortunately, until manufacturers start labelling their products routinely, lists are the best resource we have. I can't guarantee the accuracy of any other lists, but if mine does not include the product you wish to know about, or if you wish to cross-check the data, the following other lists may be helpful. Norfolk Square B52 Norfolk Square B52 A creamy russet coloured best bitter Tick this beer for your profile Currently 0/5 Stars. 13/20 Garrold (4583) - Sheffield, South Yorkshire, ENGLAND - AUG 9, 2014 Bottle from Cromer Farm and Health. Hazy amber. Decent, sticky, white head. Red fruit. Light citrus. Taste is light dry. Crisp palate. Finishes with some sweetness. 2.5 9/20 SilverfoX (871) - Norfolk, ENGLAND - JUN 20, 2014 marmalade? vague aroma.

golden orange body white foamy head. medium sweetness, lightly bitter, yeah deffo marmalade flavour. quite sweet. its nice though not sure id reach for it again. 3 FBoekman (212) - SWEDEN - JUN 8, 2014 Ganska ljus. Lite skum. Inte sï¿½ speciell, men helt ok engelsk bitter. Var inte helt fel i solen. 3 12/20 mt_hall (193) - Hertfordshire, ENGLAND - FEB 24, 2013 Bottled. Slightly hazy copper coloured ale, with an initially lively off-white head. Yeast and bread on the nose, with dry yeast/bread flavours dominating the start and finish. Slightly sweeter, fruity (apples?) middle. Smooth but slightly cloying texture. Not bad.

2.6 10/20 swooper (1247) - Cambridge and Kladno(Czech Rep.), Cambridgeshire, ENGLAND - OCT 15, 2012 bottle, quite blank aroma, golden, clear, minimal head, medium bitterness, light sweetness, medium body, slick feel, average carbonation, slight smooth bitter end. quite drinkable but not amazing beer 3.3 14/20 BlackHaddock (6607) - Shropshire, ENGLAND - APR 17, 2012 Yellow labelled bottle conditioned beer, picture of a B-52 inside an orange circle within the yellow label. Best before Oct 2010, drank and reviewed Sep 2010. Poured carefully into my ï¿½Old Speckled Henï¿½ vase shaped pint glass (my current favourite pint tasting glass). Cracking looking beer, light amber with a creamy off-white head sat on top. Hop and yeast aroma mix, heady and interesting.

The taste is also ï¿½hops to the frontï¿½, giving the beer a good ï¿½biteï¿½ as you took your first sip. The malt content happy to hide away in the background, only just able to detect any actually, and that was as the beer warmed in the glass. The body seemed lightweight for the alcohol content, normally a UK beer of 4.8% ABV has a fuller flavour and depth. This was very drinkable, but lacked that extra umph I like to find in British Strong Ales. 3.1 12/20 justm (164) - Essex, ENGLAND - APR 16, 2012 Bottle from Two Brewers Shop, Norwich. Bottle conditioned. Pours a dark amber with a carbonated off-white head.I didnï¿½t have any sediment, despite the warning on the bottle. The aroma has sharp slightly fruity maltiness. A little fuller than I was expecting over the tongue, there is quite a pronounced white pepper taste which dissolves quickly, with the merest hint of grapefruit, into quite a watery finish.

A little tart malty pepperiness re-emerges in the aftertaste but not much else, it certainly doesnï¿½t taste like a 4.8% beer. A delightful clean tasting beer, but the initial rush of flavour falls a little flat afterwards. 2.5

Question: What are 'Old Speckled Hen', 'Black Douglas' and 'Zebedee'?
Answer: Ales