--BUMP--

Here is PA we have Yuengling which is very tasty and they have lots of different ones all Vegan approved

OOHHHHH, Yuengling! My cheap beer of choice growing up (as in, college and grad school)! I"m not much of a lager fan, but I still have one anytime I go home.

Hey guys on the beer thread, did you hear that Guinness isn't vegan?  >:D

Guinness Extra Stout (what I have preferred luckily!) does not contain isinglass:

http://www.barnivore.com/beer/Guiness

please read that links info (in it's entirety) and decide for yourself what you choose to believe.

Agreed. It's hardly a ringing endorsement for Guinness. While I do know that some companies will make different versions of a product to sell in different places (McDonalds and the beef-fat-in-fries questions come to mind), this explanation from Guinness sounds awfully confusing!

That said, noone here is the vegan police, so if this is enough evidence for you, then great. However, like PPC I would encourage everyone to read for themselves and see if it meets your standards.

Oooo this is my topic! Im not only a consumer, I am also a brewer. ;D My favorite styles of beer are definitely pale ale, IPA, IIPA and hefeweizen, although I can generally drink way too much hefe. I also like the darker beers like porter, but stout is usually not for me. I like a ton of different brewers, mostly micro or craft breweries. Theres one brewery right down the road from me called Flying Fish Brewery. Lots of good brew comes out of there, especially their Belgian Dubbel! Just linke little2ant I also enjoy a nice Lambic. I prefer Kreik (cherry) Lambic but theres a ton of different ones. As far as wine goes I pretty much only drink white. Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis... I dunno. Pretty much sweeter white wines. Im not into Chardonnay or Champagne. I also like fruit wines like wines made with fruits other than grapes. Oooo I love me some cranberry wine. There a vineyard around here that has one that comes out in fall. Sooo good.

...and Im supposed to be cutting back...

Do with this what you will.  One response stated that Guinness is not vegan and one says that it is.

To Recap:

EMAIL 1
Email 1 sent to Guinness (sent February 6, 2009):
In a new twist to the ongoing online beer debate, it's now projected that Guinness Original/Extra Stout as sold in the US/Canada might be vegan.  Is this variety, specifically, vegan?

Response to Email 1 (received February 6, 2009) :
In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be considered an animal product and therefore unsuitable.  Once again, thank you for contacting us.

_____________________________________

EMAIL 2
Email 2 sent to DiageoNA (sent February 7, 2009):
I was forwarded this message, which would indicate that Guinness Extra Stout is vegan.  My understanding is that it's not vegan, so I would like to verify that the following is the correct information.

----------

February 7, 2009

Thank you for taking time to contact Guinness & Co.  We appreciate hearing from our consumers because
your feedback is important.

In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process of Guinness
Draught as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict vegan, this would be considered an animal
product and therefore unsuitable.  However, Guinness Extra Stout does not use this process, and can be
considered vegan.  Once again, thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Michael M
Guinness Consumer Representative

Response to Email 2 (received February 10, 2009) :
In reference to your inquiry, isinglass, a fish product, is used during the clarification process as a magnet to get rid of excess yeast. To the strict Vegan, this would be considered an animal product and therefore unsuitable.  Our Consumer Relations department has informed us that the Guinness Extra Stout product that you will find in the North American market does not contain isinglass. I hope this is the answer you were looking for. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Pommy P.
Guinness Consumer Representative

I thought that, too.  It doesn't say that the beer is vegan, or what process is used instead so we can infer whether it's vegan for ourselves, just that isinglass isn't used.  The ambiguity of the second email response doesn't relieve my concern.