Isinglass, Cochineal, GMOs: What’s in Your Beer?

Isinglass and Cochineal in Beer

Aside from ingredients meant to make their beer taste better, there are also some ingredients that have sparked controversy. One of them is isinglass. While its name may sound pretty innocent, it is actually a bit gross. Isinglass is a gelatinous-like substance that is made from the air-filled swim bladders of fish. It is often added to cask beers in order to clarify the brew and to eliminate some impurities. During the brewing process, any particles and yeast cells stick to isinglass, which turns into a jelly-like mass that sinks to the bottom of the cask. Even though beer makers remove it, some isinglass can still remain in the brew.

One of the most popular beer-makers that came under fire because of its use of isinglass is Guinness, owned by Diageo plc (ADR) (NYSE:DEO). The use of the animal-derived product created outrage among vegetarian and vegan beer drinkers, which lead to Guinness promising to solve the problem. The company recently announced that it has indeed eliminated the use of fish guts from its manufacturing process. Nevertheless, other companies still use isinglass and there are other animal products used in beer which vegans should be aware of like honey and lactose.

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Another ingredient that you might not have known is in your beer is bugs. Well, not technically bugs, but a dye made from cochineal that has the same name. The use of cochineal is not that bad, because it’s a very commonly-used ingredient in the food industry (take a look at this list of 7 foods made with crushed bugs for examples) and has been used for centuries, with the Aztec and Maya peoples in America using it to dye stuff. There even was a myth going around that cochineal was used to give Coca-Cola its color. When it comes to beer, cochineal is also used, with one California brewer using it to create a pink beer. Even though it’s completely harmless, the use of cochineal has also sparked outrage among vegetarians and vegans. Another company that came under fire because of its use of cochineal was Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), which had used the dye to color some of its drinks. Starbucks also promised to forego the use of cochineal in the future.