Saturday 4 April 2009

A fine collection of Vegan Beer.

Indeed a fine fine collection of Vegan Beers.
Actually getting a good beer, or stout, that is vegan suitable, is not always easy to come by, not everything is labelled with the vegan symbol, or stating 'vegan' on the label, so I thought I'd share my 'finds' for any thirsty vegans, who just happen to like the odd ale :)
I have tried all five of the beers above, and I lined them up in order of preference, going from right to left when looking at the photo. I'm not sure if one can call stout beer, but I'm not expert on beer, so please exclude my ignorance if I call them wrongly.

My very favourite is Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout.
It's a rich, dark stout, which has a sweet taste, yet bitter at the same time. It is best drunk slowly and savoured. it seems quite filling, and I honestly think one bottle is quite satisfying. It's quite pricey - at £2.25 a bottle, it's a lovely treat. Not many places sell it, so whenever I see it, I cannot resist in buying a bottle. This stout actually carries the vegan symbol (a sunflower with vegan written below it). it comes in 550ml bottles and is 5% alc vol.
Next is Black Sheep Ale. This beer can be bought at most supermarkets, it's a good bittersweet ale, not as rich as stout but heavy enough to satisfy. An easy to drink dark beer, and my favourite 'easily accessible' beer. 500ml bottles, 4.4% alc vol. Only the bottled beers are vegan, not the cask ales!

Third in my selection is Fullers London Pride. Fuller's are sold by most supermarkets, so this one is also easily obtained. All of their bottled beers are suitable except Honey Dew. Some restaurant and pubs may sell their beer too, it quite a well known one. The range. I tried their London Porter, but it was just too bitter for me, whereas their London Pride is a nice light beer, easy to drink, and enjoy at home or out. 50ml bottles, 4.7% alc vol. This is a good all round beer.

I came across this Entire Stout by HopBack Brewery in a supermarket recently. it states vegan on the label, so I thought I'd try it. I must say, it was a bit too bitter for me. The label is fun to look at, and for anyone into bitter stouts, this would have been fine.500ml bottle 4.5% alc vol.
And lastly we have Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout. A big No from me. rather disappointing since their Oatmeal Stout is my favourite, but this ale is too bitter for me. Has the vegan trademark symbol on the label. 355ml bottle, 7% alc vol. Strong Stout!

So there you have it, five Vegan beers , all different, something for everyone.
Now I think I'll go and have a beer, I feel kinda thirst :) Cheers!

2 comments:

Mishkat said...

Great reviews, although for some reason, I thought all beer was vegan! (I can think of lots of reasons why it might not be now.) I'm a big pale ale fan, so I'd probably like the imperial stout, although not sure about that alcohol content :)

Unknown said...

lots of animal ingredients can go into the clarification process, in wines too, which may be my next review of drinks, although i have to try them first hehehehe :)