First of all, I was able to obtain a baseline list of legal additives allowed in beer from the book Chemicals Additives in Beer by the Center of Science and Public Interest. This list allowed me to ask specific questions about each beer I investigated. For example beer sold here in America can contain several of the following ingredients:
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) alcohol is already addictive with some people, but with MSG?! Holy smokes.
Propylene Glycol (an ingredient found in anti-freeze)
Calcium Disodium EDTA (made from formaldehyde, sodium cayanide, and Ethylenediamine)
Many different types of sulfites and anti-microbial preservatives (linked to allergies and asthma)
Natural Flavors (can come from anything natural including a beavers anal gland)
High Fructose Corn Syrup
GMO Sugars Dextrose, Corn Syrup
Caramel Coloring (Class III or IV made from ammonia and classified as a carcinogen)
FD&C Blue 1 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity)
FD&C Red 40 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity)
FD&C Yellow 5 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity)
Insect-Based Dyes: carmine derived from cochineal insects to color their beer.
Animal Based Clarifiers: Findings include isinglass (dried fish bladder), gelatin (from skin, connective tissue, and bones), and casein (found in milk)
Foam Control: Used for head retention; (glyceryl monostearate and pepsin are both potentially derived from animals)
BPA (Bisphenol A is a component in many can liners and it may leach into the beer. BPA can mimic the female hormone estrogen and may affect sperm count, and other organ functions.)
Carrageenan (linked to inflammation in digestive system, IBS and considered a carcinogen in some circumstances)
During my investigation, I couldnt get a single mainstream beer company to share the full list of ingredients contained in their beer. But I did get some of them to fess up to the use of these ingredients in writing so Im going to share this information with you now.
Carcinogenic Caramel Coloring
Newcastle, a UK brand, confessed to using what I would consider one of the most controversial food additives. Toasted barley is usually what gives beer its golden or deep brown color, however in this case, Newcastle beer is also colored artificially with caramel color. This caramel coloring is manufactured by heating ammonia and sulfites under high pressure, which creating carcinogenic compounds. If beer companies were required by law to list the ingredients, Newcastle would likely have to have a cancer warning label under California law because it is a carcinogen proven to cause liver tumors, lung tumors, and thyroid tumors in rats and mice.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Many of the beers I questioned contained one or more possible GMO ingredients.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (Guinness unable to provide an affidavit for non-GMO proof)
Corn syrup (Miller Light, Coors, Corona, Fosters, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Stripe)
Dextrose (Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light, Michelob Ultra)
Corn (Red Stripe, Miller Coors Brand, Anheuser-Busch Brands)
Most beers brewed commercially are made with more GMO corn than barley. Many of the companies I contacted dodged the GMO question however Miller Coors had a very forthcoming and honest response. They stated Corn syrup gives beer a milder and lighter-bodied flavor and Corn syrups may be derived from a mixture of corn (conventional and biotech.), admitting their use of GMOs.