Misconception Monday: All Alcoholic Beverages Are Vegan

Beer, wine, liquor... They're vegan, right? Well the answer is yes --- AND no.


I think this is one of the most shocking facts for non-vegans to comprehend. I get asked quite often whether or not I "can drink" as a vegan and like I said, the answer is both yes and no. I can drink alcohol if I want to but depending on what it is, it may not be vegan. How?


Sometimes it can be obvious. For example, Bailey's Irish Cream is made with - you guessed it! Cream! So no, vegans won't drink it. Many beers are also made with honey, so no to those too. But for the most part, the answer lies in the refining process. Isinglass (a form of collagen that comes from the swim bladder of fish) is a positively charged substance, and when added to wine or beer, it attracts negatively charged particles in suspension, and then drops to the bottom, aiding in clarification. In Layman's terms, the swim bladders are used in the filtering process to make the finished product less cloudy. 

A fish's swim bladder

But isinglass isn't the only animal part used for clarification. Sometimes it's filtered through egg whites, gelatin or even blood. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?


But that's just for clarifying. Then you have a very popular red coloring, Carmine (also known as Cochineal, carminic acid, crimson lake, natural red 4 or E120), and is made from crushed, pregnant cochineal beetles. Yes, bugs! They are boiled alive not only to kill them but to dissolve their waxy coating as well. Then, once they're completely dried out they are crushed into a fine powder. It's then used to color everything from red wine and fruit juices to cosmetics and fabrics.

A cluster of Cochineal Beetles

I know that to many non-vegans it may seem extreme that I'll avoid a bottle of wine just because there are trace elements of isinglass in it and/or because it was colored with bugs. But the real point (I think) is this: there are plenty of wineries, distilleries and breweries that achieve the same outcome but without using any animals in the process. So if I have a choice between one who does and one who doesn't, I'm obviously going for the one who doesn't.


*If you're interested in drinking animal-friendly alcohol, be sure to check out Barnivore. They maintain an extensive list of who is vegan and who isn't.