trigger

Recipes 

So, last night I had some beer at a party and there were a couple of part-time vegans there. I warned them that I had fined the beers with gelatin, and they were ok with that. I got to thinking about something I heard at the LHBS about vegans not drinking unfiltered beer because the yeast isn't part of a vegan diet. Has anyone else heard of this? I asked one of them and he said no way, yeast is a fungus and vegans eat mushrooms. So what's the deal?

This came about because apparently HUB filters their beer in order to maintain vegan status. Pro/con vegan views aside, why wouldn't beer be vegan, even if it did have yeast?

__________________
The power to tax, once conceded, has no limits; it contains until it destroys. I was not joking when I told them to dig into their own pouches. It may not be possible to do away with government — sometimes I think that government is an inescapable disease of human beings. But it may be possible to keep it small and starved and inoffensive — and can you think of a better way than by requiring the governors themselves to pay the costs of their antisocial hobby?

R. A. Heinlein

Yooper

Recipes 

The only reason I can think of that beer wouldn't be vegan is the finings. Gelatin is a huge no-no, and since I have vegetarian friends (not vegans, though), I never use gelatin or isinglass or anything like that.

If your friends were ok with gelatin, they certainly weren't vegetarians or vegans!

Since my beer is malted barley, hops, water, and yeast, it's fine for vegans.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

trigger

Recipes 

They're most of the time vegans apparently, for health reasons, not ethics. Every once in a while they'll have some meat and dairy. It was a BBQ and they were having the grilled chicken, so no, they aren't *real* vegans.

That aside, I would still like to know why HUB needs to filter their beer tomake it vegan. If the yeast really is at issue, isn't it a form of exploitation by using them to ferment the beer? I'm honestly curious.

Also, from a phylogenetic perspective fungi are more closely related to animals than humans, but they aren't animals. So why would fungi be non-vegan?

__________________
The power to tax, once conceded, has no limits; it contains until it destroys. I was not joking when I told them to dig into their own pouches. It may not be possible to do away with government — sometimes I think that government is an inescapable disease of human beings. But it may be possible to keep it small and starved and inoffensive — and can you think of a better way than by requiring the governors themselves to pay the costs of their antisocial hobby?

R. A. Heinlein

Yooper

Recipes 

I think that the store is nuts. Filtering it won't make it "more" vegan, unless they have some vegans who won't eat yeast products. I think it's a matter of degrees. Some vegetarians eat dairy and eggs. Some do not. Some vegans probably eat fungi. Most will not eat ANY animal derived products, though, and fungi may fall into that category in a strict sense.

I'm not a vegan, so I don't know what they would allow. My understanding is that they would eat only non-animal (plant) products, though.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

MalFet

Recipes 

Fungi are no more animals than plants are. The three belong to separate taxonomic kingdoms. I can certainly imagine your friends having a particular reason to not like yeast (allergies, taste, etc.), but it shouldn't be because they are vegans.

Erroneous

Recipes 

A quick google reveals that yeast is vegan. Google also defined vegan as no animals or animal products (gelatin, eggs, fish, milk). Not sure what filtering would do, maybe something with kosher (idk) but since yeast is vegan doesn't make sense.

Teromous

Recipes 

Milk is a byproduct of cows, and beer is a byproduct of yeast. Filtering beer does not make it right...we're still exploiting them. More people should understand the plight of yeast and stand up for their rights. Beets too. When I cut them open it looks like blood.

rrmiller

Recipes 

Save the yeast! Stop their suffering! Every year TRILLIONS or even BAZILLIONS die..........BEER IS MURDER!!

I think I'll have another....

osagedr

Recipes 

I once BBQd a vegan. Nice and tender.

__________________
2012 Canadian Brewer of the Year

@evilgoatbrewing

Nightbiker

Recipes 

beat me to the punch! I second that -if yeast weren't "allowed" then the product MADE with the yeast wouldn't be 'allowed'. -if it were allowed only because it was filtered, then the isinglass shouldn't make a difference since IT falls out of suspension in the final phase of the process as well.
I'm an omnivore -I'm "allowed" to eat anything that can't escape, and I can have whatever drink I can get my hands on -if I really want to, that is. Personally I always just ask for a beer. It goes with everything (grin).

__________________
GOT BEER?
FERMENTING:
LAGERING/CONDITIONING:Simply Sweet Mead
Kegged: Bad Brown Ale (Brown and a not so good Porter blend).
Bottled:

Plans: Belgian Strong Dark Raisin Ale, Trippel,