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Vegan alcohol is made without animal products, using plant-based or synthetic fining agents. The process of removing excess matter from alcohol can involve animal products, but vegan alternatives such as bentonite clay are available. Some animal-based fining agents may not be listed on labels, but many vegan alcohol producers list their fining agents regardless.
Vegan alcohol is a type of spirit, wine or beer made without animal products as a dedicated vegan diet dictates. Contrary to some misconceptions, eating vegan doesn’t require abstaining from alcohol. There are several alternative methods available to prepare different types of alcohol with vegan processes. Ingredients that many vegans avoid in alcohol include a fining agent known as isinglass, as well as various gelatin ingredients derived from pigs or cattle. Vegan spirit producers typically use a plant-based or synthetic fining ingredient such as bentonite clay or kaolin clay.
Eating vegan typically requires some attention to the ingredients listed in both foods and beverages. The main area of concern regarding alcohol for a vegan is the process used to remove excess matter from wine, beer or hard liquor. This manufacturing step, sometimes called the alcohol fine, removes matter that would otherwise result in a cloudy appearance once the alcohol is bottled.
Beers often have to be fined to have the desired taste and appearance. Some types of wines also have to be fined to remove excess tannins which would otherwise make the final product too bitter. The animal products used in the alcohol clarification process can sometimes include derivatives from the bladder lining of fish, the bone marrow of cows, or sometimes the albumen found in eggs.
A vegan diet involves the use of non-dairy foods as an alternative to any dairy ingredients and this consideration extends to the ingredients accepted for the production of vegan alcohol. Casein is a milk derivative that is sometimes used for fining as an alternative to isinglass, and is found in wine more often than other types of alcohol. A common substitute for both casein and isinglass in vegan alcohol is bentonite clay, a polymer derived from certain types of clay.
Depending on the specifics of alcohol labeling laws, producers in different regions may be required to include animal-based fining agents in ingredient lists. Isinglass from fish byproducts is often classified as a clarification aid rather than an actual part of the finished mix, so it may not always appear on the label for easy reference. The same can sometimes be true of other gelatin products which are often used to trap and remove sediment from beers that are brewed in casks. Many vegan alcohol producers actively try to get around this common problem by clearly listing their fining agents on their product labels whether or not local laws require it.
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